At a glance
225 West Washington is a 528,730-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1987. 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 47.5 kBtu/ft² and 3,512 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 | 47.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 132.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 3,512 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 7,355,048 kWh |
| Water use | 2,795 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 528,730 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101907:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 76 | +5 | 47.5 kBtu/ft² | 3,512 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 71 | +17 | 51.8 kBtu/ft² | 3,607 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 54 | -8 | 48.9 kBtu/ft² | 3,692 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 62 | -6 | 50.7 kBtu/ft² | 4,186 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 68 | ±0 | 61.5 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 68 | -4 | 60.8 kBtu/ft² | 5,461 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 72 | +3 | 65.3 kBtu/ft² | 6,513 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 69 | -3 | 65.6 kBtu/ft² | 6,526 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 72 | +4 | 62.9 kBtu/ft² | 6,820 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 68 | 72.0 kBtu/ft² | 7,849 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
- 225 West Washington
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.86993, -87.70756
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 225 West Washington compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 225 West Washington'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 47.5 kBtu/ft² is about 33% 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 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 12% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 528,730 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1987, 31 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 225 West Washington's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 225 West Washington, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 68 in 2014 to 76 in 2023 (+8 points). Site EUI moved from 72.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 47.5 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 34% decrease. Reported emissions went from 7,849 tCO₂e to 3,512 tCO₂e over the same span (down 55%).
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. 225 West Washington's 47.5 kBtu/ft² across 528,730 sq ft works out to about 25.1 billion Btu (7,360 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 132.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 7,355,048 kWh of electricity and 2,795 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 225 West Washington to report its energy use?
225 West Washington 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:101907:2023). 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
- Congress Center· 527,238 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- 550 West Adams· 519,368 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 444 N. Michigan· 517,115 sq ft · score 36 (D)
- O'Hare Plaza II· 516,010 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 122 Property LLC· 512,369 sq ft · score 66 (C)
- 25 E Washington· 497,964 sq ft · score 84 (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 225 West Washington's energy grade?
225 West Washington 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 225 West Washington use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 47.5 kBtu/ft² (132.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 528,730 sq ft, including 7,355,048 kWh of electricity.
What are 225 West Washington's carbon emissions?
225 West Washington reported 3,512 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 225 West Washington?
225 West Washington is in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.86993, -87.70756 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 225 West Washington and when was it built?
225 West Washington has 528,730 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1987 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 225 West Washington 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, “225 West Washington, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/225-west-washington-ffb6236a (data as of October 2, 2026).