Luxury home buying decisions often come down to the amenities; having a fireplace, fitness center, beachfront, or pool may be the icing on the cake of your dream home. However, one amenity in particular in luxury homes is often overlooked. That is, the measure of its sustainability.
In addition to the benefit of using fewer limited resources and producing less harmful emissions, green buildings' financial returns are trending upwards. Having a green property increases your asset value by 7-18%. This appreciation is largely because of the high demand and low inventory. The trend has started, but the implementation is still catching up. Additionally, they are on average only 2% more expensive to develop, and reduce 14-19% of operation costs. So needless to say it’s a win win for everyone.
Given this information you may be asking, “how can I tell if the properties I am looking at are green or not?” At Remmes & Co. we like to use the Energy Star Certification and LEED Certification as first measures.
The Energy Star Certification is awarded by the EPA to buildings that are 75% more energy efficient than competitors. We found that this strict criteria qualifies 35 residential buildings in Boston Proper. Many of the 35 Energy Star Certified buildings are also LEED Certified. LEED is the most widely used rating system that ranks a property from a base level certification, to silver, gold, and platinum in terms of how they are optimizing their sustainability.
Follow our Exploration of Boston’s 35 most Energy Efficient Buildings
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Rosenkranz, Eric. “Financial Benefits of Green Buildings - Are They Expensive?” Smart CRE, 26 May 2022, https://smart-cre.com/financial-benefits-of-green-buildings-are-they-expensive/#costssaving.