At a glance
525 West Monroe is a 1,028,492-square-foot office building at 525 West Monroe Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1983. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 78 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 43.7 kBtu/ft² and 6,218 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 60% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 78 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 43.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 121.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 6,218 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 12,924,164 kWh |
| Natural gas | 8,668 therms |
| Water use | 7,088 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,028,492 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103604:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 78 | +2 | 43.7 kBtu/ft² | 6,218 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 76 | -2 | 45.9 kBtu/ft² | 6,155 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 78 | -4 | 42.6 kBtu/ft² | 6,197 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 82 | +6 | 41.1 kBtu/ft² | 6,534 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 76 | +5 | 52.6 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 71 | -26 | 52.3 kBtu/ft² | 8,857 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 97 | +9 | 37.3 kBtu/ft² | 7,034 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 88 | +2 | 52.9 kBtu/ft² | 9,948 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 86 | ±0 | 55.0 kBtu/ft² | 11,361 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 86 | 57.0 kBtu/ft² | 11,929 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
- 525 West Monroe Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60661
- Coordinates
- 41.80289, -87.59686
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 353 North Clarkscore 76
Office · 1,364,257 sq ft
- Two North LaSallescore 81
Office · 776,691 sq ft
- 150 North Michiganscore 75
Office · 708,981 sq ft
- Cook County Buildingscore 61
Office · 638,592 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 472,824 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 398,623 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 525 West Monroe compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 525 West Monroe's ENERGY STAR score of 78 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 60% of them and lower than 36%. Its site EUI of 43.7 kBtu/ft² is about 38% 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 6.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 20% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,028,492 sq ft, it is about twice the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1983, 27 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 525 West Monroe's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 525 West Monroe, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 86 in 2014 to 78 in 2023 (-8 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 97. Site EUI moved from 57.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 43.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 23% decrease. Reported emissions went from 11,929 tCO₂e to 6,218 tCO₂e over the same span (down 48%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 78 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 78 means the building performs better than about 78% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 78 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. 525 West Monroe's 43.7 kBtu/ft² across 1,028,492 sq ft works out to about 44.9 billion Btu (13,172 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 121.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 12,924,164 kWh of electricity, 8,668 therms of natural gas and 7,088 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 525 West Monroe to report its energy use?
525 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:103604:2023). 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
- 303 E. Wacker· 1,017,581 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 333 West Wacker· 1,012,961 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- 200 West Madison (Brightly)· 1,001,833 sq ft · score 68 (C)
- O'Hare Plaza I· 985,092 sq ft · score 87 (A)
- 111 N Canal· 983,470 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- 321 N. Clark Property, LLC· 981,053 sq ft · score 87 (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 525 West Monroe's energy grade?
525 West Monroe scores 78 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 525 West Monroe use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 43.7 kBtu/ft² (121.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,028,492 sq ft, including 12,924,164 kWh of electricity and 8,668 therms of natural gas.
What are 525 West Monroe's carbon emissions?
525 West Monroe reported 6,218 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 525 West Monroe?
525 West Monroe is at 525 West Monroe Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60661. Its coordinates are 41.80289, -87.59686 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 525 West Monroe and when was it built?
525 West Monroe has 1,028,492 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1983 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 525 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, “525 West Monroe, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/525-west-monroe-a30ad619 (data as of October 2, 2026).