689 Massachusetts Ave
Other in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
689 Massachusetts Ave is a 7,664-square-foot other building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1904. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 36 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 74.3 kBtu/ft² and 38 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 18% of the 374 scored buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 36 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 74.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 165.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 38 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 112,271 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,862 therms |
| Gross floor area | 7,664 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1829:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 36 | 74.3 kBtu/ft² | 38 tCO₂e | |
| 2023 | — | — | 0 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | 0 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | 90 | +3 | 40.5 kBtu/ft² | 90 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 87 | +15 | 46.5 kBtu/ft² | 100 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 72 | -11 | 57.2 kBtu/ft² | 122 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 83 | -5 | 43.8 kBtu/ft² | 99 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | +1 | 39.0 kBtu/ft² | 91 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 87 | +12 | 38.8 kBtu/ft² | 90 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 75 | 52.2 kBtu/ft² | 126 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
THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
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Location
- Address
- 689 Massachusetts Ave
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36610, -71.10420
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 1,362,662 sq ft
- 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
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 689 Massachusetts Ave compare with other other buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 9 other buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 689 Massachusetts Ave's ENERGY STAR score of 36 compares with an average of 36 across the 1 that report a score. Its site EUI of 74.3 kBtu/ft² is about 78% above the average of 41.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 7,664 sq ft, it is about 77% below the average floor area of 32,646 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1904, 26 years earlier than the group's average year built (1930). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,327 other buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 60 and a site EUI of 63.3 kBtu/ft².
How has 689 Massachusetts Ave's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 689 Massachusetts Ave, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 75 in 2015 to 36 in 2024 (-39 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 90. Site EUI moved from 52.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 74.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), an 42% increase. Reported emissions went from 126 tCO₂e to 38 tCO₂e over the same span (down 70%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 36 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 36 means the building performs better than about 36% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 36 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 39 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. 689 Massachusetts Ave's 74.3 kBtu/ft² across 7,664 sq ft works out to about 0.6 billion Btu (167 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 165.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 112,271 kWh of electricity and 1,862 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 689 Massachusetts Ave to report its energy use?
689 Massachusetts Ave 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:B1829:2024). 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 other buildings in Cambridge
Frequently asked questions
What is 689 Massachusetts Ave's energy grade?
689 Massachusetts Ave scores 36 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2024 Cambridge disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 689 Massachusetts Ave use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 74.3 kBtu/ft² (165.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 7,664 sq ft, including 112,271 kWh of electricity and 1,862 therms of natural gas.
What are 689 Massachusetts Ave's carbon emissions?
689 Massachusetts Ave reported 38 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 689 Massachusetts Ave?
689 Massachusetts Ave is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36610, -71.10420 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 689 Massachusetts Ave and when was it built?
689 Massachusetts Ave has 7,664 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1904 as its year built. It is classed as other.
Is 689 Massachusetts Ave 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, “689 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/689-massachusetts-ave-99730772 (data as of October 2, 2026).