At a glance
20 North Wacker Drive is a 1,200,000-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1929. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 71 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 82.6 kBtu/ft² and 9,111 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 40% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 71 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 82.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 151.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 9,111 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 7.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 12,985,289 kWh |
| Natural gas | 548,102 therms |
| Water use | 4,917 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,200,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101709:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 71 | 82.6 kBtu/ft² | 9,111 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 65.0 kBtu/ft² | 9,583 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 63.2 kBtu/ft² | 10,146 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 54.6 kBtu/ft² | 9,538 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 64.2 kBtu/ft² | — | |
| 2018 | — | 65.9 kBtu/ft² | 12,264 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 68.8 kBtu/ft² | 14,513 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 67.2 kBtu/ft² | 14,288 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 72.5 kBtu/ft² | 16,080 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 79.0 kBtu/ft² | 16,908 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
- 20 North Wacker Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.94903, -87.64606
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Water Tower Placescore —
Mixed Use Property · 2,581,145 sq ft
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- Accenture Towerscore 70
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- 300 North LaSallescore 71
Office · 1,506,959 sq ft
- 30 North LaSalle Streetscore 82
Office · 1,095,104 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 801,360 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 20 North Wacker Drive compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 20 North Wacker Drive's ENERGY STAR score of 71 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 40% of them and lower than 57%. Its site EUI of 82.6 kBtu/ft² is about 17% above the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more 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 1,200,000 sq ft, it is about 146% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1929, 27 years earlier 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 20 North Wacker Drive's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 20 North Wacker Drive, covering report years 2014–2023. Site EUI moved from 79.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 82.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 5% increase. Reported emissions went from 16,908 tCO₂e to 9,111 tCO₂e over the same span (down 46%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 71 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 71 means the building performs better than about 71% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 71 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 4 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. 20 North Wacker Drive's 82.6 kBtu/ft² across 1,200,000 sq ft works out to about 99.1 billion Btu (29,049 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 151.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 12,985,289 kWh of electricity, 548,102 therms of natural gas and 4,917 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 20 North Wacker Drive to report its energy use?
20 North Wacker Drive 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:101709:2023). 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
- 77 West Wacker Drive· 1,185,113 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- 231 South LaSalle· 1,181,159 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- 500 West Monroe· 1,153,491 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 111 East Wacker Drive· 1,111,058 sq ft · score 50 (D)
- 30 North LaSalle Street· 1,095,104 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- One North Dearborn· 1,088,373 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 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 20 North Wacker Drive's energy grade?
20 North Wacker Drive scores 71 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 20 North Wacker Drive use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 82.6 kBtu/ft² (151.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,200,000 sq ft, including 12,985,289 kWh of electricity and 548,102 therms of natural gas.
What are 20 North Wacker Drive's carbon emissions?
20 North Wacker Drive reported 9,111 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (7.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 20 North Wacker Drive?
20 North Wacker Drive is in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.94903, -87.64606 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 20 North Wacker Drive and when was it built?
20 North Wacker Drive has 1,200,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1929 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 20 North Wacker Drive 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, “20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/20-north-wacker-drive-891feaea (data as of October 2, 2026).