17 Harvard Yard
At a glance
17 Harvard Yard is a 28,183-square-foot residence hall/dormitory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1805. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 81 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 58.3 kBtu/ft² and 110 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 44% of the 27 scored residence hall/dormitory buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 81 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 58.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 93.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 110 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 125,140 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,034 therms |
| Water use | 366 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 28,183 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1193:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 81 | -3 | 58.3 kBtu/ft² | 110 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 84 | -1 | 51.7 kBtu/ft² | 97 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 85 | -4 | 50.9 kBtu/ft² | 96 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 89 | -3 | 46.4 kBtu/ft² | 88 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 92 | +3 | 42.1 kBtu/ft² | 79 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 89 | 50.3 kBtu/ft² | 91 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | — | 88 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | 84 | -4 | 57.3 kBtu/ft² | 109 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 88 | +1 | 49.3 kBtu/ft² | 94 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 87 | 50.6 kBtu/ft² | 97 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
PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
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Location
- Address
- 17 Harvard Yard
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.37540, -71.11770
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 52 Oxford Stscore —
College/University · 551,387 sq ft
- 1 Bennet Streetscore 67
Hotel · 498,000 sq ft
- 459 Broadwayscore 71
K-12 School · 403,393 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 17 Harvard Yard compare with other residence hall/dormitory buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 43 residence hall/dormitory buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 17 Harvard Yard's ENERGY STAR score of 81 compares with an average of 80 across the 27 that report a score; it scores higher than 44% of them and lower than 52%. Its site EUI of 58.3 kBtu/ft² is about 17% below the average of 70.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 28,183 sq ft, it is about 72% below the average floor area of 102,348 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1805, 111 years earlier than the group's average year built (1916). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 702 residence hall/dormitory buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 70.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 17 Harvard Yard's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 17 Harvard Yard, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 87 in 2015 to 81 in 2024 (-6 points); its best year on file was 2020, at 92. Site EUI moved from 50.6 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 58.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), an 15% increase. Reported emissions went from 97 tCO₂e to 110 tCO₂e over the same span (up 13%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 81 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 81 means the building performs better than about 81% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 81 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. 17 Harvard Yard's 58.3 kBtu/ft² across 28,183 sq ft works out to about 1.6 billion Btu (482 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 93.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 125,140 kWh of electricity, 1,034 therms of natural gas and 366 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 17 Harvard Yard to report its energy use?
17 Harvard Yard 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:B1193:2024). 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 residence hall/dormitory buildings in Cambridge
- 20 Everett Street· 28,179 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- 12 Everett Street· 28,107 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- 10 Harvard Yard· 27,179 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- 13 Harvard Yard· 23,542 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 24 Everett St· 22,005 sq ft · score 75 (B)
- 16 Everett Street· 19,031 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- Residence Hall/Dormitory buildings in Cambridge· 43 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 17 Harvard Yard's energy grade?
17 Harvard Yard scores 81 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 17 Harvard Yard use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 58.3 kBtu/ft² (93.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 28,183 sq ft, including 125,140 kWh of electricity and 1,034 therms of natural gas.
What are 17 Harvard Yard's carbon emissions?
17 Harvard Yard reported 110 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 17 Harvard Yard?
17 Harvard Yard is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.37540, -71.11770 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 17 Harvard Yard and when was it built?
17 Harvard Yard has 28,183 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1805 as its year built. It is classed as residence hall/dormitory.
Is 17 Harvard Yard 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, “17 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/17-harvard-yard-7fb43c12 (data as of October 2, 2026).