Water Wise: Strategies for Drought-Resilient Development
Marianne Eppig, Mariane Jang, Victoria Oestreich, Emily Zhang
Since water use requires a substantial amount of energy, water and energy are fundamentally linked, creating opportunities for greater savings. Green buildings use about 20 to 40 percent less energy and water on average, and owners were reported to save about 15 to 20 percent on utility bills. Research by the USGBC shows that upfront investment in water and energy efficiency measures makes properties more valuable, in some cases by 10 percent or more.