At a glance
181 West Madison is a 1,082,248-square-foot office building at 181 W Madison Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1990. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 76 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 54.2 kBtu/ft² and 8,206 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 53% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 76 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 54.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 151.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 8,206 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 7.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 17,176,390 kWh |
| Water use | 8,126 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,082,248 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101766:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 76 | +7 | 54.2 kBtu/ft² | 8,206 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 69 | 58.0 kBtu/ft² | 8,271 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 55.7 kBtu/ft² | 8,602 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | 70 | +4 | 53.8 kBtu/ft² | 9,075 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 66 | +10 | 65.1 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 56 | -19 | 67.9 kBtu/ft² | 12,218 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 75 | +1 | 69.9 kBtu/ft² | 13,982 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 74 | +8 | 70.7 kBtu/ft² | 14,097 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 66 | -7 | 74.1 kBtu/ft² | 16,106 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 73 | 70.0 kBtu/ft² | 15,173 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
- 181 W Madison Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60602
- Coordinates
- 41.87866, -87.68894
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Malibu East Condominiumscore 60
Multifamily Housing · 987,600 sq ft
- The Cooper (th110, co020)score 79
Multifamily Housing · 441,369 sq ft
- Fourth Prairie Shores, LLCscore 26
Multifamily Housing · 289,267 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 253,772 sq ft
- Cortland River North (kw021)score 74
Multifamily Housing · 238,860 sq ft
- North & Kostnerscore 87
Retail Store · 235,761 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 181 West Madison compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 181 West Madison's ENERGY STAR score of 76 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 53% of them and lower than 43%. Its site EUI of 54.2 kBtu/ft² is about 23% below the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 7.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,082,248 sq ft, it is about 122% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1990, 34 years later than the group's average year built (1957). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has 181 West Madison's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 181 West Madison, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 73 in 2014 to 76 in 2023 (+3 points). Site EUI moved from 70.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 54.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 23% decrease. Reported emissions went from 15,173 tCO₂e to 8,206 tCO₂e over the same span (down 46%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 76 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 76 means the building performs better than about 76% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 76 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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. 181 West Madison's 54.2 kBtu/ft² across 1,082,248 sq ft works out to about 58.7 billion Btu (17,191 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 151.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 17,176,390 kWh of electricity and 8,126 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 181 West Madison to report its energy use?
181 West Madison 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:101766:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More office buildings in Chicago
- 161 North Clark· 1,080,995 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 233 North Michigan Avenue· 1,051,591 sq ft · EUI 71.1 kBtu/ft²
- 401 N Michigan Avenue· 1,040,767 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 525 West Monroe· 1,028,492 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 303 E. Wacker· 1,017,581 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 333 West Wacker· 1,012,961 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 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 181 West Madison's energy grade?
181 West Madison scores 76 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 181 West Madison use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 54.2 kBtu/ft² (151.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,082,248 sq ft, including 17,176,390 kWh of electricity.
What are 181 West Madison's carbon emissions?
181 West Madison reported 8,206 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (7.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 181 West Madison?
181 West Madison is at 181 W Madison Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60602. Its coordinates are 41.87866, -87.68894 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 181 West Madison and when was it built?
181 West Madison has 1,082,248 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1990 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 181 West Madison 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, “181 West Madison, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/181-west-madison-5ba0aa61 (data as of October 2, 2026).