Green veterinary practices might be worth more

Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Care in Madison, Wis., is a LEED-registered facility.

If you're thinking about building a new practice, consider going green. You'll help the environment and probably your pocketbook, too. Buildings that earn the government's Energy Star label sell for an average $61 a square foot more than other buildings, according to a recent study by the CoStar Group. The same study reports that LEED-certified buildings-facilities that have earned the U.S. Green Building Council's seal of approval-sell for an average $171 a square foot more than nongreen buildings.

OK, so the sale prices are better, but do they offset the extra costs of building an eco-friendly clinic? It turns out they do. Researchers at Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and CoStar estimate that it costs about 5.5 percent more to construct a building that earns a silver LEED distincition. Energy Star reports that its building save 10 percent to 20 percent in operating costs. Couple that with the increased sale price, and you'll earn green when you go green.