Much is said about pollution from cars and industrial smokestacks, but 38 percent of all carbon emissions in America come from powering our buildings, and much of that energy is wasted.

But a new report, “Energy Efficiency in Real Estate Portfolios: Opportunities for Investors,” says that proven, existing efficiency technologies in everything from lighting to climate control and more can unlock the untapped reserves of efficiency gains buried in many real estate holdings. Those gains would be a boon to real estate investors’ bottom lines – both direct property owners like large pension funds and smaller investors who primarily hold real estate securities – even as they make our buildings far less power-hungry and a big part of America’s efforts to combat climate change.

The report was commissioned by Ceres and authored by the responsible investment group of the investment consulting business line of Mercer.

“This report documents what common sense tells us – that an energy efficient building is a more marketable building,” said Ceres President Mindy Lubber, who also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk.

For more on the report's launch, visit: http://www.ceres.org/Page.aspx?pid=1172

Download Energy Efficiency in Real Estate Portfolios: Opportunities for Investors at: http://www.ceres.org/realestatereport