33 E Congress
College/University in Chicago, IL · 60605
At a glance
33 E Congress is a 153,876-square-foot college/university building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1925. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 63.8 kBtu/ft² and 1,069 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 63.8 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 138.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,069 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,846,826 kWh |
| Natural gas | 35,172 therms |
| Water use | 657 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 153,876 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103617:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 63.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,069 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 79.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,170 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 68.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,130 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 59.0 kBtu/ft² | 976 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | |
| 2016 | — | 84.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,688 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 74.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,644 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 33 E Congress
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.85866, -87.67660
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 33 E Congress compare with other college/university buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 92 college/university buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 63.8 kBtu/ft² is about 34% below the average of 96.2 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 about 22% below the group average of 8.9 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 153,876 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 280,683 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1925, 45 years earlier than the group's average year built (1970). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,113 college/university buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 68 and a site EUI of 98.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 33 E Congress's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for 33 E Congress, covering report years 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Site EUI moved from 74.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 63.8 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 15% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,644 tCO₂e to 1,069 tCO₂e over the same span (down 35%).
What does a site EUI of 63.8 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. 33 E Congress's 63.8 kBtu/ft² across 153,876 sq ft works out to about 9.8 billion Btu (2,877 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 138.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,846,826 kWh of electricity, 35,172 therms of natural gas and 657 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 33 E Congress to report its energy use?
33 E Congress 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:103617:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More college/university buildings in Chicago
- Saieh Hall for Economics· 153,115 sq ft · EUI 93.6 kBtu/ft²
- Student Center· 149,381 sq ft · EUI 143.7 kBtu/ft²
- Dawson Technical Institute· 148,655 sq ft · EUI 65.4 kBtu/ft²
- Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership· 142,776 sq ft · EUI 41.4 kBtu/ft²
- 280 Building· 142,184 sq ft · EUI 111.4 kBtu/ft²
- McGowan South· 127,900 sq ft · EUI 172.0 kBtu/ft²
- College/University buildings in Chicago· 92 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 33 E Congress's energy grade?
33 E Congress did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 63.8 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does 33 E Congress use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 63.8 kBtu/ft² (138.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 153,876 sq ft, including 1,846,826 kWh of electricity and 35,172 therms of natural gas.
What are 33 E Congress's carbon emissions?
33 E Congress reported 1,069 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 33 E Congress?
33 E Congress is in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.85866, -87.67660 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 33 E Congress and when was it built?
33 E Congress has 153,876 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1925 as its year built. It is classed as college/university.
Is 33 E Congress 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, “33 E Congress, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/33-e-congress-2306418b (data as of October 2, 2026).