Based on the data from the LCCA analyses, overall findings included:

Renovation of Pre-War Buildings can be cost effective compared to new construction on a life-cycle cost basis, both with and without factoring in the monetized value of GHG emissions.

Leveraging existing building materials and original design intelligence, modernization of Pre-War Buildings can achieve comparable levels of energy consumption as new construction at a LEED Silver level.

On a life-cycle cost basis, Pre-War Buildings generate less total GHG emissions compared to new construction. GHG savings from initial construction (Scope 3) is the driver of this result.

While adding monetized GHG emissions to the project cost reflects the true economic cost, it does not have a significant impact on LLCA project NPV results. The absolute dollar values of GHG emission differences among Project Alternatives was extremely low.

Incorporating the monetary value of GHG emissions raised the total project life-cycle costs across all project alternatives by approximately 2 to 3%.

via EW-200931.