2501 N Elston Avenue
Vehicle Dealership in Chicago, IL · 60647
At a glance
2501 N Elston Avenue is a 146,000-square-foot vehicle dealership building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2015. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 6 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 95.6 kBtu/ft² and 1,371 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 2% of the 2,464 scored buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 6 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 95.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 187.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,371 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,125,633 kWh |
| Natural gas | 67,086 therms |
| Gross floor area | 146,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:254362:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 6 | 95.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,371 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 95.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,315 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 94.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,403 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 89.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,429 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 100.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,630 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 90.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,527 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 97.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,787 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 101.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,965 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
- 2501 N Elston Avenue
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60647
- Coordinates
- 41.94622, -87.66869
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- Back of the Yards HSscore 11
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- 450 W Belmontscore —
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- 2555 North Clarkscore 21
Multifamily Housing · 151,339 sq ft
- Whitechapel Apartmentsscore 32
Multifamily Housing · 126,000 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 2501 N Elston Avenue compare with other buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 3,852 benchmarked buildings in Chicago. 2501 N Elston Avenue's ENERGY STAR score of 6 compares with an average of 60 across the 2,464 that report a score. Its site EUI of 95.6 kBtu/ft² is about 13% above the average of 84.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 25% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 146,000 sq ft, it is about 40% below the average floor area of 244,008 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2015, 48 years later than the group's average year built (1967). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 318 vehicle dealership buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 57 and a site EUI of 62.8 kBtu/ft².
How has 2501 N Elston Avenue's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for 2501 N Elston Avenue, covering report years 2016–2023. Site EUI moved from 101.0 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 95.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 5% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,965 tCO₂e to 1,371 tCO₂e over the same span (down 30%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 6 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 6 means the building performs better than about 6% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 6 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 69 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. 2501 N Elston Avenue's 95.6 kBtu/ft² across 146,000 sq ft works out to about 14 billion Btu (4,091 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 187.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,125,633 kWh of electricity and 67,086 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 2501 N Elston Avenue to report its energy use?
2501 N Elston Avenue 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:254362:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More vehicle dealership buildings in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is 2501 N Elston Avenue's energy grade?
2501 N Elston Avenue scores 6 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 2501 N Elston Avenue use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 95.6 kBtu/ft² (187.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 146,000 sq ft, including 2,125,633 kWh of electricity and 67,086 therms of natural gas.
What are 2501 N Elston Avenue's carbon emissions?
2501 N Elston Avenue reported 1,371 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (9.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 2501 N Elston Avenue?
2501 N Elston Avenue is in Chicago, Illinois 60647. Its coordinates are 41.94622, -87.66869 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 2501 N Elston Avenue and when was it built?
2501 N Elston Avenue has 146,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2015 as its year built. It is classed as vehicle dealership.
Is 2501 N Elston Avenue 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, “2501 N Elston Avenue, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/2501-n-elston-avenue-77f0eea7 (data as of October 2, 2026).