1251 S. Michigan Avenue
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 60605
At a glance
1251 S. Michigan Avenue is a 92,440-square-foot multifamily housing building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2006. In its 2020 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 47 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 76.1 kBtu/ft² and 4,028 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 28% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2020
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 47 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 76.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 121.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,028 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 4,343,419 kWh |
| Natural gas | 322,830 therms |
| Gross floor area | 92,440 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:256640:2020 |
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 S. Michigan Avenue
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.86949, -87.62586
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 1251 S. Michigan Avenue 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 S. Michigan Avenue's ENERGY STAR score of 47 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 28% of them and lower than 70%. Its site EUI of 76.1 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 12% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 92,440 sq ft, it is about 55% below 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.
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 47 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 47 means the building performs better than about 47% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 47 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 28 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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 S. Michigan Avenue's 76.1 kBtu/ft² across 92,440 sq ft works out to about 7 billion Btu (2,062 MWh-equivalent) in 2020. Its source EUI of 121.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 4,343,419 kWh of electricity and 322,830 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 1251 S. Michigan Avenue to report its energy use?
1251 S. Michigan Avenue 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 2020 disclosure (source record chicago:256640:2020). 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
- Montclare Senior Residences of Englewood· 92,387 sq ft · score 68 (C)
- Alcove Condominium· 91,888 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- 8727 W. BRYN MAWR CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC.· 91,800 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- 8747 W. BRYN MAWR CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC.· 91,800 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- Bryn Mawr Place 1 Condominium Association· 91,800 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- 1033 W Loyola (wy73)· 91,600 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is 1251 S. Michigan Avenue's energy grade?
1251 S. Michigan Avenue scores 47 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2020 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 1251 S. Michigan Avenue use?
Its 2020 site energy-use intensity was 76.1 kBtu/ft² (121.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 92,440 sq ft, including 4,343,419 kWh of electricity and 322,830 therms of natural gas.
What are 1251 S. Michigan Avenue's carbon emissions?
1251 S. Michigan Avenue reported 4,028 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2020.
Where is 1251 S. Michigan Avenue?
1251 S. Michigan Avenue is in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.86949, -87.62586 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 1251 S. Michigan Avenue and when was it built?
1251 S. Michigan Avenue has 92,440 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2020 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2006 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is 1251 S. Michigan Avenue covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2020 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 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois — 2020 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/1251-s-michigan-avenue-eb6ca127 (data as of October 2, 2026).