At a glance
217 N. Jefferson is a 58,044-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1938. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 33 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 82.3 kBtu/ft² and 610 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 6% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 33 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 82.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 210.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 610 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 10.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,202,942 kWh |
| Natural gas | 6,705 therms |
| Gross floor area | 58,044 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:131155:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 33 | +9 | 82.3 kBtu/ft² | 610 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 24 | +7 | 94.6 kBtu/ft² | 676 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 17 | -1 | 101.3 kBtu/ft² | 802 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 18 | +10 | 99.3 kBtu/ft² | 863 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 8 | +4 | 124.3 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 4 | -8 | 127.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,165 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 12 | +9 | 114.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,202 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 3 | 162.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,615 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
- 217 N. Jefferson
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60661
- Coordinates
- 41.74244, -87.65367
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 217 N. Jefferson compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 217 N. Jefferson's ENERGY STAR score of 33 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 6% of them and lower than 93%. Its site EUI of 82.3 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 10.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 40% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 58,044 sq ft, it is about 88% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1938, 18 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 217 N. Jefferson's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for 217 N. Jefferson, covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 3 in 2016 to 33 in 2023 (+30 points). Site EUI moved from 162.2 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 82.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 49% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,615 tCO₂e to 610 tCO₂e over the same span (down 62%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 33 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 33 means the building performs better than about 33% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 33 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 42 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. 217 N. Jefferson's 82.3 kBtu/ft² across 58,044 sq ft works out to about 4.8 billion Btu (1,400 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 210.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,202,942 kWh of electricity and 6,705 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 217 N. Jefferson to report its energy use?
217 N. Jefferson 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:131155:2023). 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
- Lincoln Common D· 57,566 sq ft · score 40 (D)
- 444 N WABASH AVE· 57,400 sq ft · score 48 (D)
- 901 W Jackson· 55,627 sq ft · EUI 42.9 kBtu/ft²
- 1201 W. Washington· 55,532 sq ft · score 33 (D)
- 1040 West Randolph· 55,466 sq ft · score 53 (D)
- Maguire Hall-ID#254163· 55,056 sq ft · score 41 (D)
- 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 217 N. Jefferson's energy grade?
217 N. Jefferson scores 33 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 217 N. Jefferson use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 82.3 kBtu/ft² (210.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 58,044 sq ft, including 1,202,942 kWh of electricity and 6,705 therms of natural gas.
What are 217 N. Jefferson's carbon emissions?
217 N. Jefferson reported 610 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (10.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 217 N. Jefferson?
217 N. Jefferson is in Chicago, Illinois 60661. Its coordinates are 41.74244, -87.65367 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 217 N. Jefferson and when was it built?
217 N. Jefferson has 58,044 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1938 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 217 N. Jefferson 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, “217 N. Jefferson, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/217-n-jefferson-7ccbbefb (data as of October 2, 2026).