At a glance
231 South LaSalle is a 1,181,159-square-foot office building at 231 S. Lasalle Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1924. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 89 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 44.0 kBtu/ft² and 4,924 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 88% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 89 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 44.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 78.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,924 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 6,559,371 kWh |
| Natural gas | 188,607 therms |
| Water use | 1,036 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,181,159 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:250134:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 89 | +3 | 44.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,924 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 86 | -1 | 50.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,417 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 87 | +3 | 53.2 kBtu/ft² | 6,132 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 84 | -2 | 63.6 kBtu/ft² | 7,877 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 86 | +11 | 73.7 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 75 | -12 | 81.7 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2017 | 87 | +1 | 81.0 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2016 | 86 | -2 | 87.9 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2015 | 88 | +3 | 83.7 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2014 | 85 | 91.0 kBtu/ft² | — |
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
- 231 S. Lasalle Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60604
- Coordinates
- 41.76676, -87.71951
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 231 South LaSalle compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 231 South LaSalle's ENERGY STAR score of 89 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 88% of them and lower than 11%. Its site EUI of 44.0 kBtu/ft² is about 38% 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 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 44% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,181,159 sq ft, it is about 142% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1924, 32 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 231 South LaSalle's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 231 South LaSalle, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 85 in 2014 to 89 in 2023 (+4 points). Site EUI moved from 91.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 44.0 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 52% decrease. Reported emissions went from 7,877 tCO₂e to 4,924 tCO₂e over the same span (down 37%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 89 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 89 means the building performs better than about 89% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 89 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). 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. 231 South LaSalle's 44.0 kBtu/ft² across 1,181,159 sq ft works out to about 52 billion Btu (15,231 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 78.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 6,559,371 kWh of electricity, 188,607 therms of natural gas and 1,036 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 231 South LaSalle to report its energy use?
231 South LaSalle 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:250134:2023). 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
- 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)
- 33 West Monroe· 1,085,869 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- 181 West Madison· 1,082,248 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 231 South LaSalle's energy grade?
231 South LaSalle scores 89 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 231 South LaSalle use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 44.0 kBtu/ft² (78.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,181,159 sq ft, including 6,559,371 kWh of electricity and 188,607 therms of natural gas.
What are 231 South LaSalle's carbon emissions?
231 South LaSalle reported 4,924 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 231 South LaSalle?
231 South LaSalle is at 231 S. Lasalle Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60604. Its coordinates are 41.76676, -87.71951 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 231 South LaSalle and when was it built?
231 South LaSalle has 1,181,159 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1924 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 231 South LaSalle 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, “231 South LaSalle, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/231-south-lasalle-967efeac (data as of October 2, 2026).