While it is hard to quantify measurable benefits of a Green Office Space for the tenants. Reuters.com did a great job last week of writing about some real benefits to a Green Office Building for the owners. Reuters also pointed out the risks of not being a Green Office Building. Here are the quick highlights:

Benefits

- Increases a building’s value by an average of 7.5%
- Increases an investors return on investment by 6.6%
- Decreases a building’s operating expenses by 8% to 9%
- Higher rents and lower vacancy rates against buildings that are not green
- Attract and retain quality tenants
- Better insurance risk

Risks

- Risk of a building becoming obsolescence
- Reputational and transactional risk of not being known as a Green Office Building
- Regulatory risk from local, state, and federal government
- Pollution – commercial buildings account for 40 percent of total energy use, 72 percent electricity consumption, 39 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions, and 13 percent of total water consumption