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According to a Savills study of over 2,000 offices across five global cities, the green rental premium ranges from 6% in Chicago to 23% in Hong Kong. Amsterdam (Zuid) shows 18%, London (City) 11%, and New York (Midtown) 7%. Savills controlled for office grade, building age, transport proximity, and floorplate size in its hedonic rental models.
Hong Kong has the highest green premium among the five cities studied by Savills, with offices that have high environmental credentials potentially commanding up to 23% higher rents than those without similar accreditations, according to Savills Research.
Yes. In the City of London, BREEAM Excellent offices — in many cases a policy requirement — achieve a rental premium of around 10%, while BREEAM Outstanding offices, described by Savills as a voluntary commitment to best practice, command around 18% above BREEAM Excellent, alongside longer lease terms, according to Georgios Askounis, Director at Savills Earth.
Savills valuation experts note that sustainability is increasingly functioning as a hygiene factor at the prime end of the market rather than a source of unlimited rental outperformance, while also serving as a factor that protects against downside risk and preserves asset value, according to the Savills study.
Aaron Woodward of Rider Levett Bucknall said it is far better to consider carbon resilience, energy efficiency and long-term building performance at project inception because estimates are already established by conceptual design. Illya Azaroff of the AIA added that 2025 climate disaster losses totaled an estimated $362 billion, with a cascading global effect of approximately $2.3 trillion, calling that 'the true cost of what we're facing.'
Michael Hopper of LERA Consulting Structural Engineers said a voided post-tensioned slab design at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts in Los Angeles used recycled plastic void forms to reduce non-structural concrete, achieving 47% less carbon. Hopper added that optimized layouts using various void form systems, concrete strengths and post-tensioning can reduce embodied carbon in the slab by up to 56%, bringing concrete in line with the environmental benefits of mass timber.
Linnea Brudenell, associate principal at RSP Architects, recommended the World Economic Forum Global Risk Assessment and FEMA's Resilience Analysis Planning Tool to identify risk. Brudenell also advised cross-referencing First Street Foundation's open-source, GIS-enabled climate risk property tool and data points such as the percentage of a population reliant on electricity-dependent medical devices.
Sarah Kapnick, global head of climate advisory at J.P. Morgan, said some firms are risk-averse or unwilling to make capital outlays proactively for problems that have not yet materialized. Kapnick said the discussion of resilience requires building projection strategies for near-term and long-term conditions that have never been seen before but are known to be coming due to physics.
Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said New York has more than 6 million buildings already standing, with 54% of New York City's building stock built before 1947. Harris said the state currently invests more than $1 billion in public funding annually through the agency and utility programs, saving New York residents more than $2.3 billion annually on energy bills.
The UK Government's 2026 update to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards requires larger privately rented commercial buildings to reach an EPC rating of B by 2031. The requirement applies to buildings above 1,000 square metres and is subject to cost-effectiveness tests and exemptions. Buildings below 1,000 square metres remain subject to the existing EPC E minimum.
No. The UK Government's 2026 update to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards applies the EPC B by 2031 requirement only to privately rented commercial buildings above 1,000 square metres, and only those within the policy's scope subject to cost-effectiveness tests and exemptions. Buildings below 1,000 square metres remain subject to the existing EPC E minimum.
No. According to the UK Government's 2026 update to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, operational details are still expected. Owners will need to monitor future guidance while assessing retrofit requirements, capital costs and asset-strategy implications.
L&G and NTR secured approximately $385 million at the first close of their Clean Power Transition IV Fund, supported by four returning institutional investors from their previous fund. The previous joint vehicle raised more than $747 million and reached its final close in March 2025.
The fund completed three acquisitions: Kandalos, a 125 MW battery energy storage project near Tornio, Finland, with 250 MWh of capacity; Vindr AB in Sweden, a development platform with more than 1 GW of clean power projects; and Swordlestown in County Kildare, Ireland, combining 138 MWp of solar generation with a 200 MW, 400 MWh battery storage system.
Clean Power Transition IV broadens the investment mandate beyond renewable generation to include battery storage and infrastructure supporting the electrification of transport, heating, and industry, according to the source. The prior fund focused on European clean power infrastructure and raised more than $747 million before its March 2025 final close.
Heather Mulahasani, Managing Director of Real Assets, Asset Management at L&G, and Rosheen McGuckian, CEO of NTR, are named as the senior executives associated with the fund. Mulahasani said the fund evolves L&G's clean power strategy within its private markets platform. McGuckian said electrification requires continued investment in clean power generation alongside storage, grid, and connection infrastructure.
L&G and NTR have collaborated since 2015, when L&G became a cornerstone investor in NTR's first two funds, according to the source. Their strategy combines NTR's project origination and asset management expertise with L&G's institutional investment capabilities. Clean Power Transition IV is described as their second joint fund.
A Robeco survey found 82% of investors expect climate risks to impact asset prices over the next decade, according to ESG Today's October 11, 2026 weekly review.
South Korea launched a $750 billion decarbonization and energy transition plan, according to ESG Today's October 11, 2026 weekly review. No further details about the plan's structure or timeline are provided in the source.
Constellation signed a 20-year deal with Google to unlock 890 MW of new nuclear capacity, according to ESG Today. The deal is described as multistate in scope.
Zelestra secured $350 million in green financing to build a U.S. solar project backed by Meta. Rezolv Energy secured $630 million to build what ESG Today describes as the EU's largest onshore renewable energy project. Hong Kong issued a record $2.6 billion digital green bond, according to ESG Today's October 11, 2026 weekly review.
The SEC dropped its investigation into BlackRock and State Street, issuing a warning to investors over participation in climate groups, according to ESG Today's October 11, 2026 weekly review. No further details about the warning's content are provided in the source.
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