The Square 500
Office in California, CA · 500 South Main Street, Orange · 92868
At a glance
The Square 500 is a 160,834-square-foot office building at 500 South Main Street, Orange in Orange, California, built in 1961. In its 2024 California benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 90 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 35.3 kBtu/ft² and 372 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 64% of the 4,912 scored office buildings in California.
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10) · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 90 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 35.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | 372 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 2.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,261,172 kWh |
| Natural gas | 16,313 therms |
| Gross floor area | 160,834 sq ft |
| Source record | california:2701646:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 90 | +12 | 35.3 kBtu/ft² | 372 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 78 | +46 | 46.9 kBtu/ft² | 510 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 32 | +7 | 73.5 kBtu/ft² | 787 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 25 | +1 | 80.1 kBtu/ft² | 773 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 24 | -12 | 85.5 kBtu/ft² | 869 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 36 | -28 | 74.6 kBtu/ft² | 762 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 64 | 68.3 kBtu/ft² | 717 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 500 South Main Street, Orange
- City
- California
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 92868
- Coordinates
- 33.77994, -117.86791
Within ~1 km
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- Orange Executive Towerscore 96
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See also: most efficient in California · biggest emitters
How does The Square 500 compare with other office buildings in California?
The latest disclosures cover 6,214 office buildings in California, out of 40,029 buildings citywide. The Square 500's ENERGY STAR score of 90 compares with an average of 75 across the 4,912 that report a score; it scores higher than 64% of them and lower than 34%. Its site EUI of 35.3 kBtu/ft² is about 37% 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 2.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 36% below the group average of 3.6 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 160,834 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 151,937 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1961, 24 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 The Square 500's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 7 California disclosures for The Square 500, covering report years 2018–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 64 in 2018 to 90 in 2024 (+26 points). Site EUI moved from 68.3 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 35.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 48% decrease. Reported emissions went from 717 tCO₂e to 372 tCO₂e over the same span (down 48%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 90 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 90 means the building performs better than about 90% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 90 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. The Square 500's 35.3 kBtu/ft² across 160,834 sq ft works out to about 5.7 billion Btu (1,664 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. The disclosure also reports 1,261,172 kWh of electricity and 16,313 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires The Square 500 to report its energy use?
The Square 500 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:2701646:2024). 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 office buildings in California
- Torrance Executive Plaza West· 160,591 sq ft · EUI 24.7 kBtu/ft²
- University Towne Centre· 160,444 sq ft · score 99 (A)
- Utc14 - University Town Ctr 14 (Previously Snd07)· 160,444 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 2033 N Main St - Ygnacio Center 2· 160,431 sq ft · score 66 (C)
- University Hall· 160,295 sq ft · score 100 (A)
- San Diego Tech Center - 9605· 160,017 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- 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 The Square 500's energy grade?
The Square 500 scores 90 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2024 California disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does The Square 500 use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 35.3 kBtu/ft² across 160,834 sq ft, including 1,261,172 kWh of electricity and 16,313 therms of natural gas.
What are The Square 500's carbon emissions?
The Square 500 reported 372 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (2.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is The Square 500?
The Square 500 is at 500 South Main Street, Orange, in Orange, California 92868. Its coordinates are 33.77994, -117.86791 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) file.
How big is The Square 500 and when was it built?
The Square 500 has 160,834 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1961 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is The Square 500 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, “The Square 500, Orange, California — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/california/the-square-500-6f57faf8 (data as of July 9, 2026).