12-30 Palmer Street
Retail Store in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
12-30 Palmer Street is a 52,000-square-foot retail store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1963. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 100 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 17.2 kBtu/ft² and 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 83% of the 6 scored retail store buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 100 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 17.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 43.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 65 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 220,885 kWh |
| Natural gas | 29 therms |
| Water use | 68 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 52,000 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1541:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 100 | +1 | 17.2 kBtu/ft² | 65 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 99 | +2 | 28.0 kBtu/ft² | 106 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 97 | +9 | 33.4 kBtu/ft² | 126 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 88 | +7 | 46.5 kBtu/ft² | 176 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 81 | +20 | 55.2 kBtu/ft² | 206 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 61 | -5 | 70.3 kBtu/ft² | 248 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 66 | +7 | 62.3 kBtu/ft² | 229 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 59 | +1 | 70.9 kBtu/ft² | 274 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 58 | -20 | 70.5 kBtu/ft² | 273 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 78 | 70.3 kBtu/ft² | 277 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
BEUDO
Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
Ownership
HARVARD COOPERATIVE SOCIETY
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Location
- Address
- 12-30 Palmer Street
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.37390, -71.12020
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 52 Oxford Stscore —
College/University · 551,387 sq ft
- 1 Bennet Streetscore 67
Hotel · 498,000 sq ft
- 900 Memorial Drivescore 47
Multifamily Housing · 450,849 sq ft
- 1 Oxford Stscore —
College/University · 355,836 sq ft
- 75 Mount Auburn Streetscore 79
Office · 345,571 sq ft
- 1545 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
College/University · 281,097 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 12-30 Palmer Street compare with other retail store buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 9 retail store buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 12-30 Palmer Street's ENERGY STAR score of 100 compares with an average of 73 across the 6 that report a score; it scores higher than 83% of them. Its site EUI of 17.2 kBtu/ft² is about 68% below the average of 53.1 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 52,000 sq ft, it is about 11% above the average floor area of 46,661 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1963, 16 years later than the group's average year built (1947). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 3,025 retail store buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 57.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 12-30 Palmer Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 12-30 Palmer Street, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 78 in 2015 to 100 in 2024 (+22 points). Site EUI moved from 70.3 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 17.2 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 76% decrease. Reported emissions went from 277 tCO₂e to 65 tCO₂e over the same span (down 77%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 100 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: 100 is the top of the scale. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 100 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 Cambridge, 50% 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. 12-30 Palmer Street's 17.2 kBtu/ft² across 52,000 sq ft works out to about 0.9 billion Btu (262 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 43.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 220,885 kWh of electricity, 29 therms of natural gas and 68 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 12-30 Palmer Street to report its energy use?
12-30 Palmer Street reports under BEUDO, the legal basis of Cambridge's Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO), which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record cambridge:B1541:2024). Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
More retail store buildings in Cambridge
- 1400 Massachusetts Avenue· 37,047 sq ft
- 200 Broadway· 35,502 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- Massachusetts Avenue 1350· 34,829 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- 554 34600Massachuestts Ave· 34,600 sq ft · score 17 (D)
- 596 Massachusetts Ave· 30,944 sq ft · score 93 (A)
- 211 Alewife Brook Parkway· 16,129 sq ft · score 44 (D)
- All Cambridge benchmarked buildings· BEUDO
- Most efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Least efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Biggest emitters in Cambridge
Frequently asked questions
What is 12-30 Palmer Street's energy grade?
12-30 Palmer Street scores 100 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2024 Cambridge disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 12-30 Palmer Street use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 17.2 kBtu/ft² (43.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 52,000 sq ft, including 220,885 kWh of electricity and 29 therms of natural gas.
What are 12-30 Palmer Street's carbon emissions?
12-30 Palmer Street reported 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 12-30 Palmer Street?
12-30 Palmer Street is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.37390, -71.12020 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 12-30 Palmer Street and when was it built?
12-30 Palmer Street has 52,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1963 as its year built. It is classed as retail store.
Is 12-30 Palmer Street covered by BEUDO?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under BEUDO.
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) (BEUDO), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “12-30 Palmer Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/12-30-palmer-street-22cbf343 (data as of October 2, 2026).