Chicago building energy benchmarking
Every building disclosed under Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance (Chicago Energy Benchmarking), graded and cross-linked. Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
At a glance
Chicago publishes energy benchmarking results for 3,852 buildings under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance (the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program). 2,464 of them report an ENERGY STAR score, averaging 60 (median 63), and the average site energy-use intensity is 84.4 kBtu/ft². That is the 7th-largest disclosure of the 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, with report years 2014–2023 on file.
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The map
Chicago, colored by grade
Zoom in to reveal smaller buildings; markers color by ENERGY STAR grade (A green → D signal orange).
The report card
Grade distribution
ENERGY STAR scores banded A (85–100) / B (70–84) / C (55–69) / D (1–54); buildings without a score excluded.
Large buildings (≥ 50,000 sq ft)
Most efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| RiverView Condominium Association | A100 | 41.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,135,720 sq ft |
| Cabrini Rowhomes | A100 | 14.5 kBtu/ft² | 744,162 sq ft |
| Sentral Michigan Avenue (ss009) | A100 | 40.1 kBtu/ft² | 463,454 sq ft |
| The Sexton Condominium Association | A100 | 29.7 kBtu/ft² | 449,107 sq ft |
| Transportation Building Condominium Association | A100 | 17.1 kBtu/ft² | 447,776 sq ft |
| 1000 W Washington Blvd | A100 | 24.3 kBtu/ft² | 438,065 sq ft |
| 110 W SUPERIOR ST | A100 | 42.3 kBtu/ft² | 345,904 sq ft |
| 3711 S VINCENNES AVE | A100 | 31.0 kBtu/ft² | 302,787 sq ft |
| 2144 N. Lincoln Park Condominium Association | A100 | 34.4 kBtu/ft² | 287,000 sq ft |
| 1922 W Ogden Ave | A100 | 49.3 kBtu/ft² | 258,445 sq ft |
Penalty exposure
Least efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Lakeside | D1 | 1296.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,279,228 sq ft |
| Trumbull Park Homes | D1 | 219.8 kBtu/ft² | 400,023 sq ft |
| Lake Meadows 6 | D1 | 195.4 kBtu/ft² | 363,053 sq ft |
| Digital Printer's Row | D1 | 714.4 kBtu/ft² | 342,883 sq ft |
| WGN Studios | D1 | 414.9 kBtu/ft² | 213,533 sq ft |
| Hotel Palomar Chicago | D1 | 219.6 kBtu/ft² | 159,103 sq ft |
| The Bridgeport Condominiums | D1 | 151.9 kBtu/ft² | 116,813 sq ft |
| 533 E 33RD PL | D1 | 238.0 kBtu/ft² | 107,500 sq ft |
| 555 E 33RD PL | D1 | 297.5 kBtu/ft² | 107,500 sq ft |
| Alden Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center | D1 | 212.7 kBtu/ft² | 97,280 sq ft |
Taxonomy
Property-type mix
| Property type | Buildings | Avg score | Avg site EUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multifamily Housing | 1,515 | C62 | 72.0 kBtu/ft² |
| K-12 School | 543 | D45 | 72.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Office | 387 | C69 | 70.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Residential | 327 | –— | — |
| Commercial | 133 | –— | — |
| College/University | 92 | –— | 96.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Hotel | 88 | D51 | 110.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Senior Living Community | 58 | D47 | 103.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Retail Store | 50 | C60 | 75.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Supermarket/Grocery Store | 44 | C59 | 238.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Mixed Use Property | 40 | C59 | 98.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Laboratory | 32 | –— | 282.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Strip Mall | 32 | –— | 97.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) | 25 | C56 | 229.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Residence Hall/Dormitory | 25 | C64 | 83.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Other | 22 | –— | 89.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Medical Office | 18 | D49 | 104.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Other - Recreation | 18 | –— | 64.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Worship Facility | 14 | D30 | 69.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Multifamily Housing | 14 | –— | — |
Linked types have dedicated pages (25+ buildings).
The disclosure record
Reporting trend
| Year | Buildings reporting | Avg score | Avg site EUI | Total emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 243 | 68 | 109.0 kBtu/ft² | 3,166,483 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 1,521 | 57 | 99.3 kBtu/ft² | 6,216,595 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 2,717 | 60 | 91.2 kBtu/ft² | 6,983,121 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 2,797 | 59 | 91.3 kBtu/ft² | 6,911,648 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 3,430 | 55 | 96.0 kBtu/ft² | 6,558,905 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 3,438 | 57 | 98.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,439,857 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 3,582 | 60 | 85.8 kBtu/ft² | 5,744,873 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 3,550 | 61 | 86.2 kBtu/ft² | 4,848,521 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 3,613 | 60 | 89.1 kBtu/ft² | 4,866,758 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 3,438 | 59 | 81.7 kBtu/ft² | 4,587,800 tCO₂e |
Honest data
Source caveats
- Chicago reports electricity and gas only as kBtu totals; kWh and therm figures are unit conversions, not source-reported values.
How energy-efficient are Chicago's buildings compared with other cities?
Chicago's average ENERGY STAR score of 60 ranks 21st of 22 covered jurisdictions with at least 25 scored buildings; the average across all 84,490 scored buildings BuildingCensus covers is 70. Its average site EUI of 84.4 kBtu/ft² is about 30% above the all-jurisdiction average of 64.9 kBtu/ft² (21st lowest of 24 jurisdictions). 35% of Chicago's scored buildings reach 75 or higher, the ENERGY STAR certification threshold, against 54% across all covered jurisdictions. By grade band: 22% A (85–100), 21% B (70–84), 17% C (55–69) and 40% D (1–54).
Which kinds of buildings report in Chicago?
The disclosure spans 57 property types. The largest groups are multifamily housing (1,515, 39%), K-12 school (543, 14%) and office (387, 10%). Among types with at least 25 buildings, office buildings post the highest average ENERGY STAR score (69) and K-12 school buildings the lowest (45). Laboratory buildings have the highest average site EUI, 282.4 kBtu/ft². The average disclosed building has 244,008 sq ft of floor area and was built around 1967.
How has Chicago's benchmarking record changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 28,329 Chicago disclosure records across 10 report years (2014–2023); the number of buildings reporting went from 243 in 2014 to 3,438 in 2023. The average ENERGY STAR score moved from 60 (2016) to 59 (2023). Average site EUI went from 91.2 kBtu/ft² to 81.7 kBtu/ft² over the same years.
Which Chicago buildings have to report their energy use?
Reporting is required by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance and published through the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program. Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance. Together the disclosed buildings cover 727.6 million square feet and reported 5.2 million metric tons of CO₂e in their latest years.
Explore Chicago's benchmarking data
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago· top 100
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago· bottom 100
- Biggest emitters in Chicago· top 100
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Chicago· 543 buildings
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 buildings
- Residential buildings in Chicago· 327 buildings
- Commercial buildings in Chicago· 133 buildings
- College/University buildings in Chicago· 92 buildings
- Evanston building benchmarking· Healthy Buildings Ordinance (1-O-25)
- Every covered jurisdiction· 24 programs
Frequently asked questions
How many buildings report energy use in Chicago?
3,852 Chicago buildings appear in the latest disclosure published under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, of which 2,464 report an ENERGY STAR score (average 60).
What law requires Chicago buildings to disclose energy use?
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance — the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program. Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
What is the average ENERGY STAR score in Chicago?
60 across 2,464 scored buildings, with a median of 63. 35% score 75 or higher.
Where is the list of Chicago buildings covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
BuildingCensus has a profile page for each of the 3,852 buildings in Chicago's published benchmarking results; this page links the highest and lowest scorers, the property-type pages and the rankings. The official program page is https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/env/supp_info/energy-benchmarking.html. Published results can differ from a city's covered-buildings list, which also includes buildings that did not report.
Which Chicago building emits the most carbon?
Rush University Medical Center reported 97,340 tCO₂e in its latest disclosure year — the highest in Chicago's data. See the full biggest-emitters ranking.
About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Chicago building energy benchmarking”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago (data as of October 2, 2026).