At a glance
121 First Street is a 61,565-square-foot office building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 2018. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 77 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 37.7 kBtu/ft² and 161 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 60% of the 94 scored office buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 77 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 37.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 95.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 161 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 575,750 kWh |
| Natural gas | 3,572 therms |
| Water use | 395 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 61,565 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1419:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 77 | -4 | 37.7 kBtu/ft² | 161 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 81 | 32.9 kBtu/ft² | 141 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 33.5 kBtu/ft² | 142 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 31.3 kBtu/ft² | 134 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 32.9 kBtu/ft² | 137 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | 62 | 39.8 kBtu/ft² | 156 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | — | 0 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | — | 0 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | — | 0 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | — | 0 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
BENT ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
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Location
- Address
- 121 First Street
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36690, -71.07800
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 100 Cambridge Side Placescore —
Enclosed Mall · 747,697 sq ft
- One Leighton Streetscore 21
Multifamily Housing · 612,952 sq ft
- 50-60 Binney STscore —
Mixed Use Property · 532,739 sq ft
- 8-12 Museum Wayscore 88
Multifamily Housing · 525,000 sq ft
- 20 Child Streetscore 100
Multifamily Housing · 485,197 sq ft
- 222 Jacobs Streetscore —
Laboratory · 466,713 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 121 First Street compare with other office buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 117 office buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 121 First Street's ENERGY STAR score of 77 compares with an average of 64 across the 94 that report a score; it scores higher than 60% of them and lower than 38%. Its site EUI of 37.7 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 78.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 61,565 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 121,167 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2018, 53 years later than the group's average year built (1965). 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 121 First Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 121 First Street, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 62 in 2019 to 77 in 2024 (+15 points); its best year on file was 2023, at 81. Site EUI moved from 39.8 kBtu/ft² (2019) to 37.7 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 5% decrease.
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 77 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 77 means the building performs better than about 77% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 77 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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. 121 First Street's 37.7 kBtu/ft² across 61,565 sq ft works out to about 2.3 billion Btu (680 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 95.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 575,750 kWh of electricity, 3,572 therms of natural gas and 395 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 121 First Street to report its energy use?
121 First 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:B1419:2024). 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 office buildings in Cambridge
- 58 Charles Street· 61,114 sq ft · score 69 (C)
- 784 Memorial Drive· 61,000 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- 11 Hurley St· 59,783 sq ft · EUI 174.9 kBtu/ft²
- 795 Massachusetts Avenue· 59,140 sq ft · EUI 57.5 kBtu/ft²
- 29 Kirkland Street· 57,896 sq ft · score 94 (A)
- 80-96 Sherman Street· 57,500 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- Office buildings in Cambridge· 117 benchmarked
- 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 121 First Street's energy grade?
121 First Street scores 77 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2024 Cambridge disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 121 First Street use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 37.7 kBtu/ft² (95.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 61,565 sq ft, including 575,750 kWh of electricity and 3,572 therms of natural gas.
What are 121 First Street's carbon emissions?
121 First Street reported 161 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 121 First Street?
121 First Street is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36690, -71.07800 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 121 First Street and when was it built?
121 First Street has 61,565 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2018 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 121 First 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, “121 First Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/121-first-street-2db07bb6 (data as of October 2, 2026).