At a glance
191 North Wacker is a 778,325-square-foot office building at 191 North Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2003. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 81 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 38.9 kBtu/ft² and 4,240 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 70% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 81 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 38.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 109.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,240 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 8,881,892 kWh |
| Water use | 3,907 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 778,325 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101838:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 81 | +6 | 38.9 kBtu/ft² | 4,240 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 75 | -1 | 44.8 kBtu/ft² | 4,594 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 76 | ±0 | 46.3 kBtu/ft² | 5,148 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 76 | +6 | 48.6 kBtu/ft² | 5,903 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 70 | +2 | 60.0 kBtu/ft² | 7,770 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 68 | -20 | 56.7 kBtu/ft² | 7,344 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | ±0 | 52.8 kBtu/ft² | 7,599 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 88 | -1 | 53.8 kBtu/ft² | 7,712 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 89 | +4 | 53.3 kBtu/ft² | 8,331 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 85 | 59.0 kBtu/ft² | 9,237 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
- 191 North Wacker Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.89330, -87.62407
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- 311 S. Wackerscore 81
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 191 North Wacker compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 191 North Wacker's ENERGY STAR score of 81 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 70% of them and lower than 27%. Its site EUI of 38.9 kBtu/ft² is about 45% 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 5.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 28% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 778,325 sq ft, it is about 59% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2003, 47 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 191 North Wacker's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 191 North Wacker, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 85 in 2014 to 81 in 2023 (-4 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 89. Site EUI moved from 59.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 38.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 34% decrease. Reported emissions went from 9,237 tCO₂e to 4,240 tCO₂e over the same span (down 54%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 81 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 81 means the building performs better than about 81% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 81 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. 191 North Wacker's 38.9 kBtu/ft² across 778,325 sq ft works out to about 30.3 billion Btu (8,873 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 109.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 8,881,892 kWh of electricity and 3,907 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 191 North Wacker to report its energy use?
191 North Wacker 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:101838:2023). 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
- Two North LaSalle· 776,691 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- Triangle Plaza· 768,978 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- 120 South LaSalle Street Building· 760,892 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- 515 North State· 757,990 sq ft · score 83 (B)
- Two North Riverside Plaza· 741,315 sq ft · score 64 (C)
- One North Franklin (PNC Center)· 716,245 sq ft · score 70 (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 191 North Wacker's energy grade?
191 North Wacker scores 81 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 191 North Wacker use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 38.9 kBtu/ft² (109.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 778,325 sq ft, including 8,881,892 kWh of electricity.
What are 191 North Wacker's carbon emissions?
191 North Wacker reported 4,240 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 191 North Wacker?
191 North Wacker is at 191 North Wacker Drive, in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.89330, -87.62407 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 191 North Wacker and when was it built?
191 North Wacker has 778,325 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2003 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 191 North Wacker 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, “191 North Wacker, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/191-north-wacker-3e693b68 (data as of October 2, 2026).