LEED-certified buildings outperform non-LEED certified buildings in terms of financial performance, according to a new study conducted by the University of Notre Dame. The study, “The Relationship Between Corporate Sustainability and Firm Financial Performance,” compares the consumer deposit and loan data of two groups of PNC Financial services from 2008-2010 to determine whether the business performance of LEED-certified workplaces exceeds that of non-LEED-certified spaces.

The first group of the study was made up of 93 LEED-certified bank branches, and the second group of 469 non-certified branches. The study tested two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that the volume of household consumer business conducted through LEED-certified facilities would exceed that conducted through non-LEED-certified spaces, and that the difference in business volume would be larger for clients with consumer accounts than for those with business accounts. The second hypothesis was that utility costs would be lower for green facilities.

Research found that PNC’s LEED-certified facilities opened 458 more consumer deposit accounts, had over $3 million more in consumer deposit balances, and opened 25 more consumer loan accounts per facility per year over non LEED-certified facilities. Additionally, utility costs in LEED branches were $675 less per employee than those in non-certified buildings.

A PDF of the full report, including other key findings, can be downloaded here .