Green building costs 'hugely overestimated'

The cost of building a green property has been severely overestimated, a new report suggests, with many still unaware of the true effect that environmentally unfriendly buildings have on the environment.

A worldwide survey from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) found that the typical respondent though that constructions using eco-friendly materials cost 17 per cent more than standard building efforts, whereas in fact the real figure stands at around five per cent.

Those questioned also underestimated by more than half the percentage of the world emissions total caused by greenhouse gases from buildings, the real figure being 40 per cent.

"Existing technologies combined with common sense design can increase energy efficiency by 35 per cent and reduce heating costs by 80 per cent for the average building in industrialized markets," commented United Technologies Corporation chairman and chief executive George David.

Earlier this month the Sustainable Industries publication named a backyard wind generator as its top green building project of the year.

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