At a glance
29 N Wacker Dr is a 137,554-square-foot office building at 29 North Wacker Dr in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1951. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 82 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 65.3 kBtu/ft² and 800 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 73% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 82 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 65.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 115.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 800 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,089,999 kWh |
| Natural gas | 52,581 therms |
| Water use | 752 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 137,554 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:131291:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 82 | +12 | 65.3 kBtu/ft² | 800 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 70 | -7 | 80.9 kBtu/ft² | 947 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 77 | +2 | 73.3 kBtu/ft² | 884 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 75 | +2 | 78.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,046 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 73 | +20 | 94.1 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 53 | 105.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,562 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | |
| 2016 | 67 | -18 | 106.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,879 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 85 | 91.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,531 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
- 29 North Wacker Dr
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.80352, -87.58614
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 353 North Clarkscore 76
Office · 1,364,257 sq ft
- Cook County Buildingscore 61
Office · 638,592 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 562,000 sq ft
- Congress Centerscore 80
Office · 527,238 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 343,718 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 299,177 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 29 N Wacker Dr compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 29 N Wacker Dr's ENERGY STAR score of 82 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 73% of them and lower than 25%. Its site EUI of 65.3 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 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 23% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 137,554 sq ft, it is about 72% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1951, 5 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 29 N Wacker Dr's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 29 N Wacker Dr, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 85 in 2015 to 82 in 2023 (-3 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 85. Site EUI moved from 91.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 65.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 28% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,531 tCO₂e to 800 tCO₂e over the same span (down 48%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 82 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 82 means the building performs better than about 82% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 82 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. 29 N Wacker Dr's 65.3 kBtu/ft² across 137,554 sq ft works out to about 9 billion Btu (2,632 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 115.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,089,999 kWh of electricity, 52,581 therms of natural gas and 752 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 29 N Wacker Dr to report its energy use?
29 N Wacker Dr 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:131291:2023). 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
- 142 East Ontario· 137,050 sq ft · score 44 (D)
- 400 W. Superior· 130,007 sq ft · score 51 (D)
- CH10 - Chicago South· 129,029 sq ft · score 55 (C)
- 1765 N Elston Ave· 128,600 sq ft · score 85 (A)
- Chatham Call Center· 127,169 sq ft · score 74 (B)
- Chicago Transit Authority - 120 N. Racine· 125,763 sq ft · score 98 (A)
- 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 29 N Wacker Dr's energy grade?
29 N Wacker Dr scores 82 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 29 N Wacker Dr use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 65.3 kBtu/ft² (115.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 137,554 sq ft, including 1,089,999 kWh of electricity and 52,581 therms of natural gas.
What are 29 N Wacker Dr's carbon emissions?
29 N Wacker Dr reported 800 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.8 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 29 N Wacker Dr?
29 N Wacker Dr is at 29 North Wacker Dr, in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.80352, -87.58614 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 29 N Wacker Dr and when was it built?
29 N Wacker Dr has 137,554 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1951 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 29 N Wacker Dr 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, “29 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/29-n-wacker-dr-aff12095 (data as of October 2, 2026).