At a glance
303 West Madison is a 345,450-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1987. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 79 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 49.6 kBtu/ft² and 2,398 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 64% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 79 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 49.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 138.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,398 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 5,023,393 kWh |
| Water use | 2,348,112 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 345,450 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101943:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 79 | ±0 | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 2,398 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 79 | +2 | 50.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,309 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 77 | +2 | 50.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,484 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 75 | 50.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,712 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 60 | -20 | 58.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,367 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 80 | -3 | 59.2 kBtu/ft² | 3,784 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 83 | -2 | 57.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,666 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 85 | +18 | 55.9 kBtu/ft² | 3,883 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 67 | 76.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,255 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 West Madison
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.75422, -87.67096
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Mallers Building LLCscore —
Enclosed Mall · 314,262 sq ft
- 3001 S Michiganscore 56
Multifamily Housing · 208,042 sq ft
- Greeleyscore 10
K-12 School · 60,718 sq ft
- Foxboro Properties, LLCscore —
Office · —
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 303 West Madison compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 303 West Madison's ENERGY STAR score of 79 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 64% of them and lower than 32%. Its site EUI of 49.6 kBtu/ft² is about 30% 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 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 345,450 sq ft, it is about 29% below 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 303 West Madison's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 303 West Madison, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 67 in 2014 to 79 in 2023 (+12 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 85. Site EUI moved from 76.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 49.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 35% decrease. Reported emissions went from 5,255 tCO₂e to 2,398 tCO₂e over the same span (down 54%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 79 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 79 means the building performs better than about 79% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 79 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. 303 West Madison's 49.6 kBtu/ft² across 345,450 sq ft works out to about 17.1 billion Btu (5,022 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 138.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 5,023,393 kWh of electricity and 2,348,112 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 303 West Madison to report its energy use?
303 West Madison 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:101943:2023). 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
- U.S. Cellular Plaza - 8430 _ Goby LLC· 343,459 sq ft · EUI 7.1 kBtu/ft²
- The Rookery Building· 337,879 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- Reid Murdoch Center· 335,281 sq ft · score 38 (D)
- Onni Van Buren Chicago LLC· 332,608 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- 205 W Wacker· 324,762 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- Realtor Building· 324,698 sq ft · score 78 (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 303 West Madison's energy grade?
303 West Madison scores 79 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 303 West Madison use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 49.6 kBtu/ft² (138.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 345,450 sq ft, including 5,023,393 kWh of electricity.
What are 303 West Madison's carbon emissions?
303 West Madison reported 2,398 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 303 West Madison?
303 West Madison is in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.75422, -87.67096 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 303 West Madison and when was it built?
303 West Madison has 345,450 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 303 West Madison 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 West Madison, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/303-west-madison-ff4d6223 (data as of October 2, 2026).