29 Francis Avenue
College/University in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
29 Francis Avenue is a 56,784-square-foot college/university building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1943. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 42.1 kBtu/ft² and 159 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 42.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 73.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 159 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 241,279 kWh |
| Water use | 562 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 56,784 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1216:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | — | 42.1 kBtu/ft² | 159 tCO₂e | |
| 2023 | — | 46.9 kBtu/ft² | 159 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 49.8 kBtu/ft² | 177 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 41.3 kBtu/ft² | 161 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 31.0 kBtu/ft² | 120 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 41.8 kBtu/ft² | 157 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 40.1 kBtu/ft² | 156 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 46.7 kBtu/ft² | 186 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 45.2 kBtu/ft² | 179 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 51.0 kBtu/ft² | 205 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
- 29 Francis Avenue
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.37910, -71.11310
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 52 Oxford Stscore —
College/University · 551,387 sq ft
- 459 Broadwayscore 71
K-12 School · 403,393 sq ft
- 1 Oxford Stscore —
College/University · 355,836 sq ft
- 1575 Cambridge Streetscore —
Outpatient Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy · 352,622 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 29 Francis Avenue compare with other college/university buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 203 college/university buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 42.1 kBtu/ft² is about 73% below the average of 154.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 56,784 sq ft, it is about 41% below the average floor area of 96,964 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1943, 6 years earlier than the group's average year built (1949). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,113 college/university buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 68 and a site EUI of 98.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 29 Francis Avenue's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 29 Francis Avenue, covering report years 2015–2024. Site EUI moved from 51.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 42.1 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 17% decrease. Reported emissions went from 205 tCO₂e to 159 tCO₂e over the same span (down 22%).
What does a site EUI of 42.1 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. 29 Francis Avenue's 42.1 kBtu/ft² across 56,784 sq ft works out to about 2.4 billion Btu (701 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 73.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 241,279 kWh of electricity and 562 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 29 Francis Avenue to report its energy use?
29 Francis Avenue 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:B1216:2024). 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 college/university buildings in Cambridge
- 125 MASSACHUSETTS AVE· 55,046 sq ft · EUI 183.7 kBtu/ft²
- 17 Monsignor O'Brien· 55,000 sq ft · EUI 40.5 kBtu/ft²
- 182 MEMORIAL DR (REAR)· 51,147 sq ft · EUI 509.0 kBtu/ft²
- 2 Arrow Street· 50,347 sq ft · EUI 8.8 kBtu/ft²
- 167 ALBANY ST· 50,148 sq ft · EUI 106.5 kBtu/ft²
- 185 ALBANY ST· 50,118 sq ft · EUI 62.8 kBtu/ft²
- College/University buildings in Cambridge· 203 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 29 Francis Avenue's energy grade?
29 Francis Avenue did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2024 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 42.1 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does 29 Francis Avenue use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 42.1 kBtu/ft² (73.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 56,784 sq ft, including 241,279 kWh of electricity.
What are 29 Francis Avenue's carbon emissions?
29 Francis Avenue reported 159 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 29 Francis Avenue?
29 Francis Avenue is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.37910, -71.11310 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 29 Francis Avenue and when was it built?
29 Francis Avenue has 56,784 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1943 as its year built. It is classed as college/university.
Is 29 Francis Avenue 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, “29 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/29-francis-avenue-a3cca3f4 (data as of October 2, 2026).