At a glance
420 N Wabash Ave is a 102,450-square-foot office building at 420 N. Wabash Ave. in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1906. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 23 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 129.6 kBtu/ft² and 1,414 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 3% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 23 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 129.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 275.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,414 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 13.8 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,393,096 kWh |
| Natural gas | 51,074 therms |
| Gross floor area | 102,450 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:176010:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 23 | +2 | 129.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,414 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 21 | -7 | 135.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,424 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 28 | -9 | 115.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,365 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 37 | +21 | 101.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,309 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 16 | +6 | 152.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,872 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 10 | -8 | 153.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,936 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 18 | +1 | 148.0 kBtu/ft² | 2,011 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 17 | -6 | 148.9 kBtu/ft² | 2,091 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 23 | 137.6 kBtu/ft² | 2,042 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
- 420 N. Wabash Ave.
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60611
- Coordinates
- 41.76571, -87.56663
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 401 N Michigan Avenuescore 78
Office · 1,040,767 sq ft
- Sullivan Centerscore 80
Office · 870,368 sq ft
- NMH Arkes Family Pavilionscore 36
Medical Office · 675,000 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 588,927 sq ft
Office · 563,066 sq ft
- Haberdasher SOuare Loftsscore 71
Multifamily Housing · 420,684 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 420 N Wabash Ave compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 420 N Wabash Ave's ENERGY STAR score of 23 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 3% of them and lower than 97%. Its site EUI of 129.6 kBtu/ft² is about 84% above the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 13.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 84% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 102,450 sq ft, it is about 79% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1906, 50 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 420 N Wabash Ave's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 420 N Wabash Ave, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score was 23 in both 2015 and 2023. Site EUI moved from 137.6 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 129.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 6% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,042 tCO₂e to 1,414 tCO₂e over the same span (down 31%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 23 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 23 means the building performs better than about 23% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 23 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 52 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. 420 N Wabash Ave's 129.6 kBtu/ft² across 102,450 sq ft works out to about 13.3 billion Btu (3,891 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 275.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,393,096 kWh of electricity and 51,074 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 420 N Wabash Ave to report its energy use?
420 N Wabash Ave 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:176010:2023). 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
- 730 North Franklin· 101,235 sq ft · EUI 41.7 kBtu/ft²
- 905 Fulton Market· 100,644 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- CDOT Central Office· 100,000 sq ft · score 60 (C)
- 6045 Kenwood Building· 99,163 sq ft · EUI 884.1 kBtu/ft²
- Admin Offices @ Colman· 99,100 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- Chicago Bar Association· 99,051 sq ft · score 65 (C)
- 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 420 N Wabash Ave's energy grade?
420 N Wabash Ave scores 23 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 420 N Wabash Ave use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 129.6 kBtu/ft² (275.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 102,450 sq ft, including 2,393,096 kWh of electricity and 51,074 therms of natural gas.
What are 420 N Wabash Ave's carbon emissions?
420 N Wabash Ave reported 1,414 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (13.8 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 420 N Wabash Ave?
420 N Wabash Ave is at 420 N. Wabash Ave., in Chicago, Illinois 60611. Its coordinates are 41.76571, -87.56663 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 420 N Wabash Ave and when was it built?
420 N Wabash Ave has 102,450 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1906 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 420 N Wabash Ave 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, “420 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/420-n-wabash-ave-4a46173c (data as of October 2, 2026).