1501 WALNUT ST

How does 1501 WALNUT ST compare with other commercial buildings in Berkeley?

The latest disclosures cover 150 commercial buildings in Berkeley, out of 440 buildings citywide. 1501 WALNUT ST's ENERGY STAR score of 88 compares with an average of 77 across the 84 that report a score; it scores higher than 52% of them and lower than 43%. Its site EUI of 12.2 kBtu/ft² is about 75% below the average of 48.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 19,254 sq ft, it is about 62% below the average floor area of 50,513 sq ft for those buildings. Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,307 commercial buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 76 and a site EUI of 51.3 kBtu/ft².

How has 1501 WALNUT ST's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 3 Berkeley disclosures for 1501 WALNUT ST, covering report years 2023–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 81 in 2023 to 88 in 2025 (+7 points). Site EUI moved from 14.9 kBtu/ft² (2023) to 12.2 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 18% decrease.

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 88 mean?

ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 88 means the building performs better than about 88% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 88 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In Berkeley, 82% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.

Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. 1501 WALNUT ST's 12.2 kBtu/ft² across 19,254 sq ft works out to about 0.2 billion Btu (69 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 16.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 12,457 kWh of electricity and 1,916 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires 1501 WALNUT ST to report its energy use?

1501 WALNUT ST reports under BESO (BMC Chapter 19.81), the legal basis of Berkeley's Building Emissions Saving Ordinance, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record berkeley:9470:2025). Berkeley's BESO requires annual benchmarking for commercial and multifamily buildings of 15,000 sq ft or more, with energy assessments at time of listing and every five years for buildings of 25,000 sq ft or more.