Jeremy Sumeray, the UK-GBC’s chief strategist, said companies should look at green improvements as a useful way of tightening belts rather than an inconvenient expense.
Speaking to edie TV, he said: “I think many people will look to make cuts at this time.
“It would seem the obvious thing to do – cut the costs and worry about some of these issues later on when the market recovers.
“But in fact, if you think about what needs to be addressed, it’s all good business that should be addressed today. Why waste electricity? If you can cut the bill now, it’s good business.”
He added: “If you think about this less as adding things to a building – which appears to be expensive – and think about the impact of what you are doing, which is to waste fewer resources, to waste less energy, that’s going to deliver more benefits.”
The UK-GBC is aiming to drive a new breed of low carbon development and to help existing buildings make the switch to low carbon over the next five to ten years.
But Mr Sumeray said there will be two key barriers to achieving those goals – clarifying the targets and measuring their success.
Watch the full interview on edie TV below.
Kate Martin