At a glance
211 West Wacker Drive is a 158,063-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1927. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 78 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 69.7 kBtu/ft² and 1,031 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 60% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 78 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 69.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 130.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,031 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,507,638 kWh |
| Natural gas | 58,662 therms |
| Gross floor area | 158,063 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251221:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 78 | +6 | 69.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,031 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 72 | -9 | 82.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,101 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 81 | +7 | 63.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,087 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 74 | -3 | 62.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,165 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 77 | +3 | 82.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,538 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 74 | -20 | 77.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,497 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 94 | +1 | 64.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,403 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 93 | +1 | 64.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,432 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 92 | 68.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,555 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
- 211 West Wacker Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.68939, -87.66916
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- Autumn Green at Midway Villagescore 76
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 211 West Wacker Drive compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 211 West Wacker Drive's ENERGY STAR score of 78 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 60% of them and lower than 36%. Its site EUI of 69.7 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with 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 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 13% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 158,063 sq ft, it is about 68% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1927, 29 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 211 West Wacker Drive's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 211 West Wacker Drive, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 92 in 2015 to 78 in 2023 (-14 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 94. Site EUI moved from 68.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 69.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 2% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,555 tCO₂e to 1,031 tCO₂e over the same span (down 34%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 78 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 78 means the building performs better than about 78% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 78 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. 211 West Wacker Drive's 69.7 kBtu/ft² across 158,063 sq ft works out to about 11 billion Btu (3,229 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 130.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,507,638 kWh of electricity and 58,662 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 211 West Wacker Drive to report its energy use?
211 West 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:251221:2023). 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
- 318 W Adams Level Office LLC· 157,700 sq ft · score 51 (D)
- 213 West Institute Place· 155,385 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- 1747 W. Roosevelt· 155,174 sq ft · score 54 (D)
- Kingsbury Orleans LP· 154,614 sq ft · score 79 (B)
- Seventy East· 154,373 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- Association House of Chicago· 153,229 sq ft · score 76 (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 211 West Wacker Drive's energy grade?
211 West Wacker Drive scores 78 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 211 West Wacker Drive use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 69.7 kBtu/ft² (130.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 158,063 sq ft, including 1,507,638 kWh of electricity and 58,662 therms of natural gas.
What are 211 West Wacker Drive's carbon emissions?
211 West Wacker Drive reported 1,031 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 211 West Wacker Drive?
211 West Wacker Drive is in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.68939, -87.66916 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 211 West Wacker Drive and when was it built?
211 West Wacker Drive has 158,063 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1927 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 211 West 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, “211 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/211-west-wacker-drive-77711873 (data as of October 2, 2026).