Palo Alto Square 3
Office in California, CA · 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto · 94303
At a glance
Palo Alto Square 3 is a 16,601-square-foot office building at 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto in Palo Alto, California, built in 1971. In its 2021 California benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 48 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 51.1 kBtu/ft² and 50 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 15% of the 4,912 scored office buildings in California.
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10) · reporting year 2021
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 48 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 51.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | 50 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 240,073 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 16,601 sq ft |
| Source record | california:1412027:2021 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021latest | 48 | +5 | 51.1 kBtu/ft² | 50 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 43 | 53.1 kBtu/ft² | 57 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
- 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
- City
- California
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 94303
- Coordinates
- 37.42156, -122.14170
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in California · biggest emitters
How does Palo Alto Square 3 compare with other office buildings in California?
The latest disclosures cover 6,214 office buildings in California, out of 40,029 buildings citywide. Palo Alto Square 3's ENERGY STAR score of 48 compares with an average of 75 across the 4,912 that report a score; it scores higher than 15% of them and lower than 85%. Its site EUI of 51.1 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 56.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 3.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 17% below the group average of 3.6 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 16,601 sq ft, it is about 89% below the average floor area of 151,937 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1971, 14 years earlier than the group's average year built (1985). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has Palo Alto Square 3's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 2 California disclosures for Palo Alto Square 3, covering report years 2020–2021. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 43 in 2020 to 48 in 2021 (+5 points). Site EUI moved from 53.1 kBtu/ft² (2020) to 51.1 kBtu/ft² (2021), a 4% decrease. Reported emissions went from 57 tCO₂e to 50 tCO₂e over the same span (down 13%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 48 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 48 means the building performs better than about 48% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 48 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 27 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. Palo Alto Square 3's 51.1 kBtu/ft² across 16,601 sq ft works out to about 0.8 billion Btu (249 MWh-equivalent) in 2021. The disclosure also reports 240,073 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires Palo Alto Square 3 to report its energy use?
Palo Alto Square 3 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 2021 disclosure (source record california:1412027:2021). 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.
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- Office buildings in California· 6,214 benchmarked
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Frequently asked questions
What is Palo Alto Square 3's energy grade?
Palo Alto Square 3 scores 48 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2021 California disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Palo Alto Square 3 use?
Its 2021 site energy-use intensity was 51.1 kBtu/ft² across 16,601 sq ft, including 240,073 kWh of electricity.
What are Palo Alto Square 3's carbon emissions?
Palo Alto Square 3 reported 50 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2021.
Where is Palo Alto Square 3?
Palo Alto Square 3 is at 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, in Palo Alto, California 94303. Its coordinates are 37.42156, -122.14170 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) file.
How big is Palo Alto Square 3 and when was it built?
Palo Alto Square 3 has 16,601 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2021 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1971 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Palo Alto Square 3 covered by AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)?
Yes — it appears in the 2021 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, “Palo Alto Square 3, Palo Alto, California — 2021 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/california/palo-alto-square-3-ed6ce6a9 (data as of July 9, 2026).