At a glance
5 Western Avenue is a 34,055-square-foot office building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1931. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 98 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 29.6 kBtu/ft² and 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 98% of the 94 scored office buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 98 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 29.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 62.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 65 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 178,398 kWh |
| Natural gas | 4,003 therms |
| Water use | 385 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 34,055 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1031:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 98 | +1 | 29.6 kBtu/ft² | 65 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 97 | +1 | 35.5 kBtu/ft² | 78 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 96 | +2 | 36.5 kBtu/ft² | 79 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 94 | -1 | 43.3 kBtu/ft² | 93 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 95 | ±0 | 40.6 kBtu/ft² | 86 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 95 | -1 | 40.7 kBtu/ft² | 83 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 96 | 41.1 kBtu/ft² | 87 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 37.2 kBtu/ft² | 83 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 39.2 kBtu/ft² | 88 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 42.9 kBtu/ft² | 96 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
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Location
- Address
- 5 Western Avenue
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36540, -71.10560
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 517,029 sq ft
- 70 PACIFIC STscore —
College/University · 362,687 sq ft
- 45 Sidney Streetscore —
Laboratory · 277,000 sq ft
- 300 Massachusetts Avescore —
Laboratory · 274,456 sq ft
- 235 ALBANY STscore —
College/University · 252,835 sq ft
- 129 Franklin Streetscore 98
Multifamily Housing · 243,166 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 5 Western Avenue compare with other office buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 117 office buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 5 Western Avenue's ENERGY STAR score of 98 compares with an average of 64 across the 94 that report a score; it scores higher than 98% of them and lower than 1%. Its site EUI of 29.6 kBtu/ft² is about 62% below the average of 78.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 34,055 sq ft, it is about 72% below the average floor area of 121,167 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1931, 34 years earlier 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 5 Western Avenue's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 5 Western Avenue, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 96 in 2018 to 98 in 2024 (+2 points). Site EUI moved from 42.9 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 29.6 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 31% decrease. Reported emissions went from 96 tCO₂e to 65 tCO₂e over the same span (down 32%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 98 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 98 means the building performs better than about 98% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 98 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. 5 Western Avenue's 29.6 kBtu/ft² across 34,055 sq ft works out to about 1 billion Btu (295 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 62.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 178,398 kWh of electricity, 4,003 therms of natural gas and 385 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 5 Western Avenue to report its energy use?
5 Western 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:B1031:2024). 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
- 344 Broadway· 33,909 sq ft · score 69 (C)
- 678 Massachusetts Avenue· 33,500 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- 51 Inman Street· 31,240 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 288 Norfolk St· 30,930 sq ft · EUI 49.1 kBtu/ft²
- Two Brattle Square· 30,674 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- 21 Dunster Street· 30,384 sq ft · EUI 142.6 kBtu/ft²
- 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 5 Western Avenue's energy grade?
5 Western Avenue scores 98 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 5 Western Avenue use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 29.6 kBtu/ft² (62.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 34,055 sq ft, including 178,398 kWh of electricity and 4,003 therms of natural gas.
What are 5 Western Avenue's carbon emissions?
5 Western Avenue reported 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 5 Western Avenue?
5 Western Avenue is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36540, -71.10560 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 5 Western Avenue and when was it built?
5 Western Avenue has 34,055 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1931 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 5 Western 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, “5 Western Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/5-western-avenue-75d3daf1 (data as of October 2, 2026).