838 Massachusetts Ave
Worship Facility in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
838 Massachusetts Ave is a 12,800-square-foot worship facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1934. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 29 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 62.4 kBtu/ft² and 43 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 64% of the 11 scored worship facility buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 29 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 62.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 73.2 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 43 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 16,400 kWh |
| Natural gas | 7,429 therms |
| Water use | 338 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 12,800 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1015:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 29 | +5 | 62.4 kBtu/ft² | 43 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 24 | 68.3 kBtu/ft² | 47 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 66.1 kBtu/ft² | 46 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 47.5 kBtu/ft² | 33 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 47.3 kBtu/ft² | 33 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 69.3 kBtu/ft² | 48 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 77.3 kBtu/ft² | 54 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 66.4 kBtu/ft² | 47 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 54.8 kBtu/ft² | 39 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 61.5 kBtu/ft² | 43 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
ST. PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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Location
- Address
- 838 Massachusetts Ave
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36710, -71.10700
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 900 Memorial Drivescore 47
Multifamily Housing · 450,849 sq ft
- 459 Broadwayscore 71
K-12 School · 403,393 sq ft
- 70 PACIFIC STscore —
College/University · 362,687 sq ft
- 1493 Cambridge Streetscore 33
Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) · 360,250 sq ft
- 45 Sidney Streetscore —
Laboratory · 277,000 sq ft
- 300 Massachusetts Avescore —
Laboratory · 274,456 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 838 Massachusetts Ave compare with other worship facility buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 17 worship facility buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 838 Massachusetts Ave's ENERGY STAR score of 29 compares with an average of 25 across the 11 that report a score; it scores higher than 64% of them and lower than 27%. Its site EUI of 62.4 kBtu/ft² is about 33% below the average of 93.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 12,800 sq ft, it is about 59% below the average floor area of 30,966 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1934, 19 years later than the group's average year built (1915). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,035 worship facility buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 50 and a site EUI of 47.8 kBtu/ft².
How has 838 Massachusetts Ave's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 838 Massachusetts Ave, covering report years 2015–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 24 in 2023 to 29 in 2024 (+5 points). Site EUI moved from 61.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 62.4 kBtu/ft² (2024), an 1% increase. Reported emissions went from 43 tCO₂e to 43 tCO₂e over the same span (up 0%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 29 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 29 means the building performs better than about 29% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 29 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 46 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. 838 Massachusetts Ave's 62.4 kBtu/ft² across 12,800 sq ft works out to about 0.8 billion Btu (234 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 73.2 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 16,400 kWh of electricity, 7,429 therms of natural gas and 338 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 838 Massachusetts Ave to report its energy use?
838 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:B1015:2024). 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 worship facility buildings in Cambridge
Frequently asked questions
What is 838 Massachusetts Ave's energy grade?
838 Massachusetts Ave scores 29 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 838 Massachusetts Ave use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 62.4 kBtu/ft² (73.2 kBtu/ft² source) across 12,800 sq ft, including 16,400 kWh of electricity and 7,429 therms of natural gas.
What are 838 Massachusetts Ave's carbon emissions?
838 Massachusetts Ave reported 43 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 838 Massachusetts Ave?
838 Massachusetts Ave is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36710, -71.10700 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 838 Massachusetts Ave and when was it built?
838 Massachusetts Ave has 12,800 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1934 as its year built. It is classed as worship facility.
Is 838 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, “838 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/838-massachusetts-ave-5f16ed55 (data as of October 2, 2026).