At a glance
400 South Jefferson - OPI is a 275,487-square-foot office building at 400 South Jefferson Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1946. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 97 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 33.4 kBtu/ft² and 910 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 98% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 97 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 33.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 65.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 910 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,421,060 kWh |
| Natural gas | 43,556 therms |
| Water use | 882 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 275,487 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:157208:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 97 | +7 | 33.4 kBtu/ft² | 910 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 90 | +2 | 45.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,205 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 88 | -3 | 45.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,257 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 91 | +2 | 42.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,268 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 89 | +6 | 52.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,643 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 83 | -14 | 53.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,695 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 97 | -1 | 48.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,685 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 98 | +1 | 47.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,692 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 97 | 49.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,837 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
- 400 South Jefferson Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60607
- Coordinates
- 41.97248, -87.66969
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Presidents Plaza 1score 93
Office · 417,395 sq ft
- Asbury Plaza Venture LLLPscore 67
Multifamily Housing · 356,989 sq ft
Laboratory · 284,391 sq ft
- 55 West Wacker Drivescore 68
Office · 278,671 sq ft
- Metropolisscore 34
Multifamily Housing · 218,624 sq ft
- 450 W Belmont (wb008)score 94
Multifamily Housing · 171,882 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 400 South Jefferson - OPI compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 400 South Jefferson - OPI's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 98% of them and lower than 2%. Its site EUI of 33.4 kBtu/ft² is about half of 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 3.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 56% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 275,487 sq ft, it is about 44% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1946, 10 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 400 South Jefferson - OPI's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 400 South Jefferson - OPI, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score was 97 in both 2015 and 2023. Site EUI moved from 49.3 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 33.4 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 32% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,837 tCO₂e to 910 tCO₂e over the same span (down 50%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 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 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 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. 400 South Jefferson - OPI's 33.4 kBtu/ft² across 275,487 sq ft works out to about 9.2 billion Btu (2,697 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 65.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,421,060 kWh of electricity, 43,556 therms of natural gas and 882 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 400 South Jefferson - OPI to report its energy use?
400 South Jefferson - OPI 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:157208:2023). 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
- The Garland Building Office Condominium· 259,000 sq ft · score 31 (D)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America· 252,250 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- 250 South Wacker Drive· 251,826 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- 65 E Wacker Place· 249,062 sq ft · score 79 (B)
- Cubs Office Building· 247,887 sq ft · score 28 (D)
- Monroe Building· 243,166 sq ft · score 79 (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 400 South Jefferson - OPI's energy grade?
400 South Jefferson - OPI scores 97 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 400 South Jefferson - OPI use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 33.4 kBtu/ft² (65.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 275,487 sq ft, including 1,421,060 kWh of electricity and 43,556 therms of natural gas.
What are 400 South Jefferson - OPI's carbon emissions?
400 South Jefferson - OPI reported 910 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 400 South Jefferson - OPI?
400 South Jefferson - OPI is at 400 South Jefferson Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60607. Its coordinates are 41.97248, -87.66969 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 400 South Jefferson - OPI and when was it built?
400 South Jefferson - OPI has 275,487 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1946 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 400 South Jefferson - OPI 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, “400 South Jefferson - OPI, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/400-south-jefferson-opi-3854fbc0 (data as of October 2, 2026).