At a glance
440 North Wells Street is a 112,671-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1905. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 70 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 70.0 kBtu/ft² and 773 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 38% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 70 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 70.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 136.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 773 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,197,022 kWh |
| Natural gas | 37,999 therms |
| Gross floor area | 112,671 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:119128:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 70 | +4 | 70.0 kBtu/ft² | 773 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 66 | -1 | 78.6 kBtu/ft² | 813 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 67 | -10 | 74.6 kBtu/ft² | 834 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 77 | ±0 | 68.7 kBtu/ft² | 796 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 77 | +8 | 81.1 kBtu/ft² | 984 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 69 | -15 | 85.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,038 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 84 | +5 | 76.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,046 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 79 | +2 | 80.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,129 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 77 | 82.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,210 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
- 440 North Wells Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60654
- Coordinates
- 41.91029, -87.67710
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 135 S LaSalle Property LLCscore —
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- Van Buren Park Apartmentsscore 67
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- Portage Parkscore 59
K-12 School · 145,775 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 440 North Wells Street compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 440 North Wells Street's ENERGY STAR score of 70 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 38% of them and lower than 60%. Its site EUI of 70.0 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 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 112,671 sq ft, it is about 77% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1905, 51 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 440 North Wells Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 440 North Wells Street, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 77 in 2015 to 70 in 2023 (-7 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 84. Site EUI moved from 82.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 70.0 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 15% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,210 tCO₂e to 773 tCO₂e over the same span (down 36%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 70 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 70 means the building performs better than about 70% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 70 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 5 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. 440 North Wells Street's 70.0 kBtu/ft² across 112,671 sq ft works out to about 7.9 billion Btu (2,311 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 136.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,197,022 kWh of electricity and 37,999 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 440 North Wells Street to report its energy use?
440 North Wells Street 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:119128:2023). 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
- Sunshine Enterprise, LLC - Series II (218 S Wabash)· 111,550 sq ft · score 69 (C)
- The Thompson Building· 111,033 sq ft · score 51 (D)
- Chicago Teachers Union Foundation· 110,192 sq ft · score 92 (A)
- BVM Hall/SES-ID#175895· 110,000 sq ft · score 83 (B)
- Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind· 110,000 sq ft · score 52 (D)
- CHCHIL76_IB00100009489/O10170/4533 W ROSCOE ST/CHICAGO/IL· 109,799 sq ft · score 94 (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 440 North Wells Street's energy grade?
440 North Wells Street scores 70 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 440 North Wells Street use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 70.0 kBtu/ft² (136.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 112,671 sq ft, including 1,197,022 kWh of electricity and 37,999 therms of natural gas.
What are 440 North Wells Street's carbon emissions?
440 North Wells Street reported 773 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 440 North Wells Street?
440 North Wells Street is in Chicago, Illinois 60654. Its coordinates are 41.91029, -87.67710 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 440 North Wells Street and when was it built?
440 North Wells Street has 112,671 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1905 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 440 North Wells Street 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, “440 North Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/440-north-wells-street-fd507780 (data as of October 2, 2026).