At a glance
444 North Wells Street is a 73,332-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1903. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 83 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 36.7 kBtu/ft² and 376 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 75% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 83 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 36.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 102.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 376 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 787,852 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 73,332 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251228:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 83 | +5 | 36.7 kBtu/ft² | 376 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 78 | +1 | 39.8 kBtu/ft² | 384 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 77 | -5 | 40.4 kBtu/ft² | 423 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 82 | -4 | 38.2 kBtu/ft² | 438 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 86 | -1 | 42.1 kBtu/ft² | 514 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 87 | -5 | 44.6 kBtu/ft² | 544 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 92 | ±0 | 43.4 kBtu/ft² | 588 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 92 | ±0 | 45.5 kBtu/ft² | 615 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 92 | 43.2 kBtu/ft² | 636 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
- 444 North Wells Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60654
- Coordinates
- 41.89326, -87.62181
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 444 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. 444 North Wells Street's ENERGY STAR score of 83 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 75% of them and lower than 22%. Its site EUI of 36.7 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 5.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 32% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 73,332 sq ft, it is about 85% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1903, 53 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 444 North Wells Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 444 North Wells Street, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 92 in 2015 to 83 in 2023 (-9 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 92. Site EUI moved from 43.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 36.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 15% decrease. Reported emissions went from 636 tCO₂e to 376 tCO₂e over the same span (down 41%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 83 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 83 means the building performs better than about 83% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 83 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. 444 North Wells Street's 36.7 kBtu/ft² across 73,332 sq ft works out to about 2.7 billion Btu (789 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 102.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 787,852 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires 444 North Wells Street to report its energy use?
444 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:251228:2023). 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
- 307 S Sangamon St· 72,977 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- 400 W Erie Street· 72,500 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- Admin Offices @ Dodge-Garfield Park· 72,340 sq ft · score 68 (C)
- 230 East Ohio· 71,298 sq ft · score 48 (D)
- The Shops on Wabash, LLC· 70,680 sq ft · EUI 78.0 kBtu/ft²
- IBEW Local 134· 69,350 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- 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 444 North Wells Street's energy grade?
444 North Wells Street scores 83 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 444 North Wells Street use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 36.7 kBtu/ft² (102.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 73,332 sq ft, including 787,852 kWh of electricity.
What are 444 North Wells Street's carbon emissions?
444 North Wells Street reported 376 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 444 North Wells Street?
444 North Wells Street is in Chicago, Illinois 60654. Its coordinates are 41.89326, -87.62181 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 444 North Wells Street and when was it built?
444 North Wells Street has 73,332 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1903 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 444 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, “444 North Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/444-north-wells-street-4490592e (data as of October 2, 2026).