At a glance
303 E. Wacker is a 1,017,581-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1979. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 87 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 64.1 kBtu/ft² and 9,118 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 83% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 87 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 64.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 179.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 9,118 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 9.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 19,092,129 kWh |
| Natural gas | 523 therms |
| Water use | 7,028 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,017,581 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101797:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 87 | ±0 | 64.1 kBtu/ft² | 9,118 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 87 | +1 | 64.1 kBtu/ft² | 8,584 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 86 | -1 | 59.3 kBtu/ft² | 8,594 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 87 | +3 | 59.3 kBtu/ft² | 9,381 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 84 | -10 | 66.9 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 94 | -1 | 47.7 kBtu/ft² | 9,070 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 95 | ±0 | 60.3 kBtu/ft² | 11,294 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 95 | +1 | 61.0 kBtu/ft² | 11,392 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 94 | +4 | 60.4 kBtu/ft² | 12,296 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 90 | 65.0 kBtu/ft² | 13,136 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
- 303 E. Wacker
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60601
- Coordinates
- 42.00179, -87.67303
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 303 E. Wacker compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 303 E. Wacker's ENERGY STAR score of 87 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 83% of them and lower than 14%. Its site EUI of 64.1 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 9.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 20% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,017,581 sq ft, it is about twice the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1979, 23 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 303 E. Wacker's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 303 E. Wacker, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 90 in 2014 to 87 in 2023 (-3 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 95. Site EUI moved from 65.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 64.1 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 1% decrease. Reported emissions went from 13,136 tCO₂e to 9,118 tCO₂e over the same span (down 31%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 87 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 87 means the building performs better than about 87% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 87 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. 303 E. Wacker's 64.1 kBtu/ft² across 1,017,581 sq ft works out to about 65.2 billion Btu (19,116 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 179.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 19,092,129 kWh of electricity, 523 therms of natural gas and 7,028 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 303 E. Wacker to report its energy use?
303 E. Wacker 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:101797:2023). 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
- 333 West Wacker· 1,012,961 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- 200 West Madison (Brightly)· 1,001,833 sq ft · score 68 (C)
- O'Hare Plaza I· 985,092 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 111 N Canal· 983,470 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- 321 N. Clark Property, LLC· 981,053 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 151 North Franklin· 947,870 sq ft · score 93 (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 303 E. Wacker's energy grade?
303 E. Wacker scores 87 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 303 E. Wacker use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 64.1 kBtu/ft² (179.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,017,581 sq ft, including 19,092,129 kWh of electricity and 523 therms of natural gas.
What are 303 E. Wacker's carbon emissions?
303 E. Wacker reported 9,118 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (9.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 303 E. Wacker?
303 E. Wacker is in Chicago, Illinois 60601. Its coordinates are 42.00179, -87.67303 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 303 E. Wacker and when was it built?
303 E. Wacker has 1,017,581 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1979 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 303 E. Wacker 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, “303 E. Wacker, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/303-e-wacker-39140c0a (data as of October 2, 2026).