Melinda Heights Elementary
K-12 School in California, CA · 21001 Rancho Trabuco, Rancho Santa Margarita · 92688
At a glance
Melinda Heights Elementary is a 62,134-square-foot K-12 school at 21001 Rancho Trabuco, Rancho Santa Margarita in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, built in 1998. In its 2024 California benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 51 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 31.2 kBtu/ft² and 129 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 17% of the 2,016 scored K-12 school buildings in California.
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10) · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 51 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 31.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | 129 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 2.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 568,806 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 62,134 sq ft |
| Source record | california:27494968:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 51 | +22 | 31.2 kBtu/ft² | 129 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 29 | +1 | 32.2 kBtu/ft² | 142 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 28 | 34.6 kBtu/ft² | 159 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)
AB 802 requires every California commercial building over 50,000 sq ft to report energy use to the CEC annually; the CEC publicly discloses the results statewide.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 21001 Rancho Trabuco, Rancho Santa Margarita
- City
- California
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 92688
- Coordinates
- 33.65779, -117.61474
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Cortesia - Essex (Ct39)score 82
Multifamily Housing · 279,030 sq ft
- Skyview - 29178score 88
Multifamily Housing · 267,393 sq ft
See also: most efficient in California · biggest emitters
How does Melinda Heights Elementary compare with other K-12 school buildings in California?
The latest disclosures cover 2,128 K-12 school buildings in California, out of 40,029 buildings citywide. Melinda Heights Elementary's ENERGY STAR score of 51 compares with an average of 74 across the 2,016 that report a score; it scores higher than 17% of them and lower than 83%. Its site EUI of 31.2 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 34.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 2.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 2.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 62,134 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 129,123 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1998, 22 years later than the group's average year built (1976). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Melinda Heights Elementary's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 3 California disclosures for Melinda Heights Elementary, covering report years 2022–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 28 in 2022 to 51 in 2024 (+23 points). Site EUI moved from 34.6 kBtu/ft² (2022) to 31.2 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 10% decrease. Reported emissions went from 159 tCO₂e to 129 tCO₂e over the same span (down 19%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 51 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 51 means the building performs better than about 51% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 51 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 24 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In California, 65% 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. Melinda Heights Elementary's 31.2 kBtu/ft² across 62,134 sq ft works out to about 1.9 billion Btu (568 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. The disclosure also reports 568,806 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires Melinda Heights Elementary to report its energy use?
Melinda Heights Elementary reports under AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10), the legal basis of California's Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide), which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record california:27494968:2024). AB 802 requires every California commercial building over 50,000 sq ft to report energy use to the CEC annually; the CEC publicly discloses the results statewide.
More K-12 school buildings in California
- Vista Grande Elementary· 62,129 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- Prisk Elementary· 62,110 sq ft · score 52 (D)
- Dianne Feinstein Elementary· 62,087 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- Oak Hill Elementary School· 62,043 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- Curran Middle· 62,028 sq ft · score 98 (A)
- Murrieta Elementary· 62,014 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- K-12 School buildings in California· 2,128 benchmarked
- All California benchmarked buildings· AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)
- Most efficient large buildings in California
- Least efficient large buildings in California
- Biggest emitters in California
Frequently asked questions
What is Melinda Heights Elementary's energy grade?
Melinda Heights Elementary scores 51 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2024 California disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Melinda Heights Elementary use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 31.2 kBtu/ft² across 62,134 sq ft, including 568,806 kWh of electricity.
What are Melinda Heights Elementary's carbon emissions?
Melinda Heights Elementary reported 129 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (2.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is Melinda Heights Elementary?
Melinda Heights Elementary is at 21001 Rancho Trabuco, Rancho Santa Margarita, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688. Its coordinates are 33.65779, -117.61474 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) file.
How big is Melinda Heights Elementary and when was it built?
Melinda Heights Elementary has 62,134 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1998 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Melinda Heights Elementary covered by AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) (AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)), as published July 9, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Melinda Heights Elementary, Rancho Santa Margarita, California — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/california/melinda-heights-elementary-f403bbc4 (data as of July 9, 2026).