<title>Study Claims Building Energy-Efficient Structures is Cheaper</title> Building an Energy-Efficient Structure is Cheaper, Claims Study

City Green Court in Prague's Pankrác

Prague - The costs of constructing an energy-efficient building are 6.7 percent lower than the usual standard. Heating and cooling costs will also be reduced, by up to half. This is claimed by a new study "Energy-Efficient Buildings - Costs, Savings, Value," which was presented today by the Czech Council for Green Buildings.
    The study states that the substructure of an energy-efficient building is 23 percent cheaper than buildings meeting international standards, primarily due to a reduction in parking spaces for cars. "The superstructure is 15 percent cheaper due to a more modest, less glazed facade. On the other hand, the technical installations of the building are more expensive (about 13 percent)," the study reveals.
    The subsequent operation of the building is also more advantageous. "A building constructed only with minimal norm requirements consumes 70 percent more than an energy-efficient building. A design meeting international standards then consumes 56 percent more energy. Thus, the annual operating costs for energy are significantly lower for energy-efficient buildings," states the study.
    The study was prepared by a group of experts associated with the Czech Council for Green Buildings. Among the authors are architects and designers from the Brno company K4, experts on technical installations from companies Optimal Engineering and PBA International Prague, and consultants from EkoWATT, H1K, or Gardiner and Theobald. The project was led by sustainability specialist Eric Jonson, an American based in Prague, and British consultant Cory Benson, whose company Made Sustainable is also headquartered in Prague.
    The study compares construction costs for three types of office buildings. The first type is a building that meets standards but adds nothing extra. The second type is a building that meets the current high international standard. The third type examined was a building that adheres to sustainability principles. All three types of buildings were designed for 13,000 m² of net rental space, 2,000 m² of built-up area with five to seven stories. The plot was specified as originally built on 6,000 m², at the city center's edge and near public transport. The specifications also accounted for parking on-site, the possibility of establishing shops on the ground floor, and a flexible open floor plan on the upper floors.