Two
recently released studies validate that third party certified buildings, like LEED, outperform their conventional
counterparts across a wide variety of metrics, including energy savings,
occupancy rates, sale price and rental rates.

According to the CoStar study, LEED
buildings command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot over their non-LEED
peers and have 3.8 percent higher occupancy. Rental rates in ENERGY STAR
buildings represent a $2.38 per square foot premium over comparable non- ENERGY
STAR buildings and have 3.6 percent higher occupancy.

Find the studies at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=77#usgbc_publications.

And, http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=D968F1E0DCF73712B03A099E0E99C679.