1251/1255 S. Michigan
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 1251/1255 S. Michigan Avenue · 60605
At a glance
1251/1255 S. Michigan is a 618,708-square-foot multifamily housing building at 1251/1255 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2006. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 86 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 55.3 kBtu/ft² and 2,625 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 75% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 86 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 55.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 84.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,625 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,720,879 kWh |
| Natural gas | 249,567 therms |
| Water use | 21,270 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 618,708 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:160284:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 86 | +18 | 55.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,625 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 68 | +28 | 70.0 kBtu/ft² | 3,311 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 40 | 84.7 kBtu/ft² | 4,003 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | 54 | +21 | 77.5 kBtu/ft² | 4,051 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 33 | +13 | 82.6 kBtu/ft² | 4,870 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 20 | -16 | 83.6 kBtu/ft² | 5,226 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 36 | +17 | 81.3 kBtu/ft² | 5,196 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 19 | 94.4 kBtu/ft² | 6,043 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 1251/1255 S. Michigan Avenue
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.96136, -87.69854
Within ~1 km
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How does 1251/1255 S. Michigan compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 1,515 multifamily housing buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 1251/1255 S. Michigan's ENERGY STAR score of 86 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 75% of them and lower than 24%. Its site EUI of 55.3 kBtu/ft² is about 23% below the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 28% below the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 618,708 sq ft, it is about 200% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2006, 35 years later than the group's average year built (1971). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has 1251/1255 S. Michigan's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 1251/1255 S. Michigan, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 19 in 2015 to 86 in 2023 (+67 points). Site EUI moved from 94.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 55.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 41% decrease. Reported emissions went from 6,043 tCO₂e to 2,625 tCO₂e over the same span (down 57%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 86 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 86 means the building performs better than about 86% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 86 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 Chicago, 35% 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. 1251/1255 S. Michigan's 55.3 kBtu/ft² across 618,708 sq ft works out to about 34.2 billion Btu (10,027 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 84.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,720,879 kWh of electricity, 249,567 therms of natural gas and 21,270 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 1251/1255 S. Michigan to report its energy use?
1251/1255 S. Michigan reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:160284:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More multifamily housing buildings in Chicago
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- (IL1071) - The Pinnacle Condo (21 E. Huron St)· 610,691 sq ft · score 11 (D)
- Tower Park Residences: 1235 South Prairie Avenue· 605,856 sq ft · score 78 (B)
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- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 benchmarked
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Frequently asked questions
What is 1251/1255 S. Michigan's energy grade?
1251/1255 S. Michigan scores 86 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 1251/1255 S. Michigan use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 55.3 kBtu/ft² (84.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 618,708 sq ft, including 2,720,879 kWh of electricity and 249,567 therms of natural gas.
What are 1251/1255 S. Michigan's carbon emissions?
1251/1255 S. Michigan reported 2,625 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 1251/1255 S. Michigan?
1251/1255 S. Michigan is at 1251/1255 S. Michigan Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.96136, -87.69854 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 1251/1255 S. Michigan and when was it built?
1251/1255 S. Michigan has 618,708 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2006 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is 1251/1255 S. Michigan covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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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, “1251/1255 S. Michigan, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/1251-1255-s-michigan-be09e5e3 (data as of October 2, 2026).