Public Policy Institute Of California
Office in California, CA · 500 Washington St., San Francisco · 94111
At a glance
Public Policy Institute Of California is a 110,156-square-foot office building at 500 Washington St., San Francisco in San Francisco, California, built in 1981. In its 2019 California benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 87 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 42.5 kBtu/ft² and 288 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 56% of the 4,912 scored office buildings in California.
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10) · reporting year 2019
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 87 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 42.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | 288 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 2.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,006,123 kWh |
| Natural gas | 11,444 therms |
| Gross floor area | 110,156 sq ft |
| Source record | california:1268392:2019 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019latest | 87 | +1 | 42.5 kBtu/ft² | 288 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 86 | 41.3 kBtu/ft² | 300 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
- 500 Washington St., San Francisco
- City
- California
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 94111
- Coordinates
- 37.79572, -122.40176
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in California · biggest emitters
How does Public Policy Institute Of California compare with other office buildings in California?
The latest disclosures cover 6,214 office buildings in California, out of 40,029 buildings citywide. Public Policy Institute Of California's ENERGY STAR score of 87 compares with an average of 75 across the 4,912 that report a score; it scores higher than 56% of them and lower than 41%. Its site EUI of 42.5 kBtu/ft² is about 25% below 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 2.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 27% below the group average of 3.6 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 110,156 sq ft, it is about 27% below the average floor area of 151,937 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1981, 4 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 Public Policy Institute Of California's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 2 California disclosures for Public Policy Institute Of California, covering report years 2018–2019. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 86 in 2018 to 87 in 2019 (+1 points). Site EUI moved from 41.3 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 42.5 kBtu/ft² (2019), an 3% increase. Reported emissions went from 300 tCO₂e to 288 tCO₂e over the same span (down 4%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 87 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 87 means the building performs better than about 87% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 87 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 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. Public Policy Institute Of California's 42.5 kBtu/ft² across 110,156 sq ft works out to about 4.7 billion Btu (1,372 MWh-equivalent) in 2019. The disclosure also reports 1,006,123 kWh of electricity and 11,444 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Public Policy Institute Of California to report its energy use?
Public Policy Institute Of California 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 2019 disclosure (source record california:1268392:2019). 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 office buildings in California
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- Mpk 41· 110,066 sq ft · score 98 (A)
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- Office buildings in California· 6,214 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 Public Policy Institute Of California's energy grade?
Public Policy Institute Of California scores 87 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2019 California disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Public Policy Institute Of California use?
Its 2019 site energy-use intensity was 42.5 kBtu/ft² across 110,156 sq ft, including 1,006,123 kWh of electricity and 11,444 therms of natural gas.
What are Public Policy Institute Of California's carbon emissions?
Public Policy Institute Of California reported 288 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (2.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2019.
Where is Public Policy Institute Of California?
Public Policy Institute Of California is at 500 Washington St., San Francisco, in San Francisco, California 94111. Its coordinates are 37.79572, -122.40176 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) file.
How big is Public Policy Institute Of California and when was it built?
Public Policy Institute Of California has 110,156 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2019 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1981 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Public Policy Institute Of California covered by AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)?
Yes — it appears in the 2019 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, “Public Policy Institute Of California, San Francisco, California — 2019 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/california/public-policy-institute-of-california-fe24d541 (data as of July 9, 2026).