197 Vassal Lane
K-12 School in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
197 Vassal Lane is a 124,543-square-foot K-12 school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1970. In its 2021 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 46 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 32.9 kBtu/ft² and 296 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 32% of the 38 scored K-12 school buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2021
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 46 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 32.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 92.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 296 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 1,201,181 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 124,543 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1869:2021 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021latest | 46 | +22 | 32.9 kBtu/ft² | 296 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 24 | -3 | 44.6 kBtu/ft² | 393 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 27 | -6 | 59.6 kBtu/ft² | 487 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 33 | -17 | 65.2 kBtu/ft² | 569 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 50 | -1 | 53.2 kBtu/ft² | 496 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 51 | +5 | 53.4 kBtu/ft² | 498 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 46 | 56.7 kBtu/ft² | 542 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
CAMBRIDGE CITY OF
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Location
- Address
- 197 Vassal Lane
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.38440, -71.13970
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 55 Wheeler Stscore 100
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- 80 Fawcett Streetscore 87
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- 160-210 Alewife Brook Pkwyscore —
Strip Mall · 267,440 sq ft
- 617 Concord Avescore —
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- 1 Jackson Placescore 73
Multifamily Housing · 207,765 sq ft
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See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 197 Vassal Lane compare with other K-12 school buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 45 K-12 school buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 197 Vassal Lane's ENERGY STAR score of 46 compares with an average of 60 across the 38 that report a score; it scores higher than 32% of them and lower than 66%. Its site EUI of 32.9 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 62.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 124,543 sq ft, it is about twice the average floor area of 61,739 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1970, 14 years later than the group's average year built (1956). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 197 Vassal Lane's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 7 Cambridge disclosures for 197 Vassal Lane, covering report years 2015–2021. Its ENERGY STAR score was 46 in both 2015 and 2021. Site EUI moved from 56.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 32.9 kBtu/ft² (2021), a 42% decrease. Reported emissions went from 542 tCO₂e to 296 tCO₂e over the same span (down 45%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 46 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 46 means the building performs better than about 46% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 46 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 29 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. 197 Vassal Lane's 32.9 kBtu/ft² across 124,543 sq ft works out to about 4.1 billion Btu (1,201 MWh-equivalent) in 2021. Its source EUI of 92.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,201,181 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires 197 Vassal Lane to report its energy use?
197 Vassal Lane 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 2021 disclosure (source record cambridge:B1869:2021). 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 K-12 school buildings in Cambridge
- 178 Coolidge Hill· 110,000 sq ft · score 38 (D)
- 70 Rindge Avenue· 108,989 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- 80 Gerry's Landing Rd.· 106,070 sq ft · score 28 (D)
- 1 Matignon Rd.· 96,508 sq ft
- 45 Matignon Road· 90,000 sq ft · score 96 (A)
- 225 Windsor Street· 83,221 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- K-12 School buildings in Cambridge· 45 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 197 Vassal Lane's energy grade?
197 Vassal Lane scores 46 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2021 Cambridge disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 197 Vassal Lane use?
Its 2021 site energy-use intensity was 32.9 kBtu/ft² (92.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 124,543 sq ft, including 1,201,181 kWh of electricity.
What are 197 Vassal Lane's carbon emissions?
197 Vassal Lane reported 296 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2021.
Where is 197 Vassal Lane?
197 Vassal Lane is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.38440, -71.13970 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 197 Vassal Lane and when was it built?
197 Vassal Lane has 124,543 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2021 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1970 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is 197 Vassal Lane covered by BEUDO?
Yes — it appears in the 2021 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, “197 Vassal Lane, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2021 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/197-vassal-lane-c4e88a11 (data as of October 2, 2026).