Has building green become a financially superior proposition?
Australia’s first zero-carbon housing project - the proposed Cape Paterson Ecovillage in South Gippsland, Victoria - suggests we have reached a tipping point, where it makes sense to invest in carbon neutral housing.
With the rising cost of energy, water and oil and the decreasing cost of sustainable systems like solar panels, is building green becoming a financially superior proposition?
Project Director, Mr Brendan Condon, initially believed its high environmental standards would entail a large price premium for residents. But this was not the case, according to a Zero Carbon Study conducted by the Ecovillage Partnership and a subsequent peer review commissioned by Sustainability Victoria in 2011.
The report included a cost–benefit analysis of the buildings’ sustainability features from a consumer’s perspective.
If I am building and I spend an extra $30,000 on sustainability features in my new home, [the report shows] I am going to get a return on that investment.
Anthony Szatow - Independent Consultant & Author, “Zero Carbon Study Peer Review”
So, have we reached a tipping point where the financial benefits of building and living sustainably outweigh the costs?
Source: ecosmagazine.com