278 Humboldt Ave

How does 278 Humboldt Ave compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Boston?

The latest disclosures cover 2,174 multifamily housing buildings in Boston, out of 6,305 buildings citywide. 278 Humboldt Ave's ENERGY STAR score of 65 compares with an average of 71 across the 1,225 that report a score; it scores higher than 33% of them and lower than 66%. Its site EUI of 64.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 67.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 29,706 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 58,087 sq ft for those buildings. Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².

How has 278 Humboldt Ave's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 3 Boston disclosures for 278 Humboldt Ave, covering report years 2022–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 74 in 2022 to 65 in 2024 (-9 points); its best year on file was 2022, at 74. Site EUI moved from 62.7 kBtu/ft² (2022) to 64.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), an 3% increase. Reported emissions went from 110 tCO₂e to 103 tCO₂e over the same span (down 6%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 65 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 65 means the building performs better than about 65% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 65 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 10 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Boston, 52% 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. 278 Humboldt Ave's 64.3 kBtu/ft² across 29,706 sq ft works out to about 1.9 billion Btu (560 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. The disclosure also reports 127,134 kWh of electricity and 14,766 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires 278 Humboldt Ave to report its energy use?

278 Humboldt Ave reports under BERDO 2.0, the legal basis of Boston's Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record boston:103112:2024). BERDO 2.0 sets emissions standards for buildings of 20,000+ sq ft or 15+ units, starting in 2025 or 2030 depending on building size, with an alternative-compliance payment of $234 per metric ton of CO₂e over the limit.