500 Lake Shore Drive
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 60611
At a glance
500 Lake Shore Drive is a 716,899-square-foot multifamily housing building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2013. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 77 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 47.6 kBtu/ft² and 3,301 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 62% 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 | 77 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 47.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 91.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 3,301 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 5,032,865 kWh |
| Natural gas | 169,184 therms |
| Water use | 19,602 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 716,899 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:160319:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 77 | -6 | 47.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,301 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 83 | -4 | 51.2 kBtu/ft² | 3,324 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 87 | +5 | 44.4 kBtu/ft² | 3,250 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 82 | +2 | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,649 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 80 | +1 | 52.0 kBtu/ft² | 3,965 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 79 | +9 | 54.4 kBtu/ft² | 4,102 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 70 | -5 | 51.6 kBtu/ft² | 4,369 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 75 | +50 | 49.9 kBtu/ft² | 4,401 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 25 | 61.9 kBtu/ft² | 6,417 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 500 Lake Shore Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60611
- Coordinates
- 41.89834, -87.65140
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 500 Lake Shore Drive 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. 500 Lake Shore Drive's ENERGY STAR score of 77 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 62% of them and lower than 37%. Its site EUI of 47.6 kBtu/ft² is about 34% below the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 21% below the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 716,899 sq ft, it is about 248% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2013, 42 years later 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 500 Lake Shore Drive's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for 500 Lake Shore Drive, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 25 in 2015 to 77 in 2023 (+52 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 87. Site EUI moved from 61.9 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 47.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 23% decrease. Reported emissions went from 6,417 tCO₂e to 3,301 tCO₂e over the same span (down 49%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 77 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 77 means the building performs better than about 77% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 77 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. 500 Lake Shore Drive's 47.6 kBtu/ft² across 716,899 sq ft works out to about 34.1 billion Btu (10,001 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 91.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 5,032,865 kWh of electricity, 169,184 therms of natural gas and 19,602 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 500 Lake Shore Drive to report its energy use?
500 Lake Shore Drive 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:160319:2023). 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
- K2 Apartments· 715,440 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- 345 N LaSalle Drive· 712,000 sq ft · score 97 (A)
- Dearborn Homes· 706,989 sq ft · score 39 (D)
- Two West Delaware (dt38)· 703,611 sq ft · score 96 (A)
- Old Town Park 2· 700,940 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- (IL0802) - The Private Residences at Ontario (10 E Ontario St)· 690,169 sq ft · EUI 59.0 kBtu/ft²
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 benchmarked
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Frequently asked questions
What is 500 Lake Shore Drive's energy grade?
500 Lake Shore Drive scores 77 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 500 Lake Shore Drive use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 47.6 kBtu/ft² (91.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 716,899 sq ft, including 5,032,865 kWh of electricity and 169,184 therms of natural gas.
What are 500 Lake Shore Drive's carbon emissions?
500 Lake Shore Drive reported 3,301 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 500 Lake Shore Drive?
500 Lake Shore Drive is in Chicago, Illinois 60611. Its coordinates are 41.89834, -87.65140 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 500 Lake Shore Drive and when was it built?
500 Lake Shore Drive has 716,899 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2013 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is 500 Lake Shore Drive 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, “500 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/500-lake-shore-drive-413fe783 (data as of October 2, 2026).