At a glance
500 West Monroe is a 1,153,491-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1992. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 87 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 44.6 kBtu/ft² and 7,202 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 83% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 87 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 44.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 124.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 7,202 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 15,085,638 kWh |
| Water use | 5,567 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,153,491 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101722:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 87 | +6 | 44.6 kBtu/ft² | 7,202 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 81 | -2 | 52.7 kBtu/ft² | 8,002 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 83 | +54 | 50.1 kBtu/ft² | 8,256 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 29 | -47 | 85.5 kBtu/ft² | 15,317 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 76 | +12 | 63.0 kBtu/ft² | 12,039 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 64 | -24 | 62.6 kBtu/ft² | 12,010 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | -2 | 55.6 kBtu/ft² | 11,766 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 90 | +1 | 50.6 kBtu/ft² | 10,665 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 89 | +4 | 50.4 kBtu/ft² | 11,583 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 85 | 55.0 kBtu/ft² | 12,709 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
- 500 West Monroe
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60661
- Coordinates
- 41.92651, -87.63930
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- 150 North Riverside Plazascore 68
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- 111 South Wackerscore 72
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 500 West Monroe compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 500 West Monroe's ENERGY STAR score of 87 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 83% of them and lower than 14%. Its site EUI of 44.6 kBtu/ft² is about 37% below 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 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 17% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,153,491 sq ft, it is about 136% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1992, 36 years later 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 500 West Monroe's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 500 West Monroe, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 85 in 2014 to 87 in 2023 (+2 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 90. Site EUI moved from 55.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 44.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 19% decrease. Reported emissions went from 12,709 tCO₂e to 7,202 tCO₂e over the same span (down 43%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 87 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 87 means the building performs better than about 87% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 87 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). 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 West Monroe's 44.6 kBtu/ft² across 1,153,491 sq ft works out to about 51.4 billion Btu (15,077 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 124.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 15,085,638 kWh of electricity and 5,567 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 500 West Monroe to report its energy use?
500 West Monroe 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:101722:2023). 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
- 111 East Wacker Drive· 1,111,058 sq ft · score 50 (D)
- 30 North LaSalle Street· 1,095,104 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- One North Dearborn· 1,088,373 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- 33 West Monroe· 1,085,869 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- 181 West Madison· 1,082,248 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 161 North Clark· 1,080,995 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 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 500 West Monroe's energy grade?
500 West Monroe scores 87 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 500 West Monroe use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 44.6 kBtu/ft² (124.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,153,491 sq ft, including 15,085,638 kWh of electricity.
What are 500 West Monroe's carbon emissions?
500 West Monroe reported 7,202 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 500 West Monroe?
500 West Monroe is in Chicago, Illinois 60661. Its coordinates are 41.92651, -87.63930 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 500 West Monroe and when was it built?
500 West Monroe has 1,153,491 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1992 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 500 West Monroe 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 West Monroe, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/500-west-monroe-24e83a2a (data as of October 2, 2026).