4950 Powhatan Building Corp.
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 4950 S. Chicago Beach Drive · 60615
At a glance
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. is a 167,825-square-foot multifamily housing building at 4950 S. Chicago Beach Drive in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1929. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 10 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 127.2 kBtu/ft² and 1,316 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 4% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 10 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 127.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 155.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,316 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 7.8 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 616,107 kWh |
| Natural gas | 192,446 therms |
| Water use | 2,755 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 167,825 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251246:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 10 | 127.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,316 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | 53 | 91.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,013 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | — | — | — |
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
- 4950 S. Chicago Beach Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60615
- Coordinates
- 41.79921, -87.62567
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- Grace St.score 87
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- Dorescore 62
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 4950 Powhatan Building Corp. compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 1,515 multifamily housing buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.'s ENERGY STAR score of 10 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 4% of them and lower than 95%. Its site EUI of 127.2 kBtu/ft² is about 77% above the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 7.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 34% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 167,825 sq ft, it is about 19% below the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1929, 42 years earlier than the group's average year built (1971). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.'s energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 6 Chicago disclosures for 4950 Powhatan Building Corp., covering report years 2018–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 53 in 2021 to 10 in 2023 (-43 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 53. Site EUI moved from 91.1 kBtu/ft² (2021) to 127.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 40% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,013 tCO₂e to 1,316 tCO₂e over the same span (up 30%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 10 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 10 means the building performs better than about 10% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 10 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 65 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. 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.'s 127.2 kBtu/ft² across 167,825 sq ft works out to about 21.3 billion Btu (6,256 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 155.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 616,107 kWh of electricity, 192,446 therms of natural gas and 2,755 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 4950 Powhatan Building Corp. to report its energy use?
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. 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:251246:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More multifamily housing buildings in Chicago
- 6200-42 N Hoyne· 165,250 sq ft · score 16 (D)
- The Flamingo· 165,000 sq ft · score 59 (C)
- Opera Lofts Condominiums· 164,619 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- 422 West Melrose· 164,485 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- 740 Fulton Condominium Association· 164,230 sq ft · score 46 (D)
- Sheridan-Gunnison Apts.· 164,020 sq ft · score 67 (C)
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Frequently asked questions
What is 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.'s energy grade?
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. scores 10 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 4950 Powhatan Building Corp. use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 127.2 kBtu/ft² (155.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 167,825 sq ft, including 616,107 kWh of electricity and 192,446 therms of natural gas.
What are 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.'s carbon emissions?
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. reported 1,316 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (7.8 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 4950 Powhatan Building Corp.?
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. is at 4950 S. Chicago Beach Drive, in Chicago, Illinois 60615. Its coordinates are 41.79921, -87.62567 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 4950 Powhatan Building Corp. and when was it built?
4950 Powhatan Building Corp. has 167,825 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1929 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is 4950 Powhatan Building Corp. 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, “4950 Powhatan Building Corp., Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/4950-powhatan-building-corp-49c634c8 (data as of October 2, 2026).