At a glance
55 West Monroe is a 895,765-square-foot office building in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1980. 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 36.9 kBtu/ft² and 4,623 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 57% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 77 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 36.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 103.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,623 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 9,683,378 kWh |
| Water use | 14,156 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 895,765 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101791:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 77 | +4 | 36.9 kBtu/ft² | 4,623 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 73 | -3 | 40.6 kBtu/ft² | 4,794 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 76 | -2 | 38.8 kBtu/ft² | 4,969 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 78 | +7 | 38.6 kBtu/ft² | 5,401 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 71 | +11 | 48.5 kBtu/ft² | 7,233 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 60 | -29 | 50.6 kBtu/ft² | 7,566 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 89 | -2 | 47.4 kBtu/ft² | 7,881 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 91 | +3 | 45.2 kBtu/ft² | 7,493 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 88 | +6 | 49.3 kBtu/ft² | 8,903 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 82 | 53.0 kBtu/ft² | 9,504 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
- 55 West Monroe
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60603
- Coordinates
- 41.99311, -87.71157
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 55 West Monroe compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 55 West Monroe's ENERGY STAR score of 77 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 57% of them and lower than 40%. Its site EUI of 36.9 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 5.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 31% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 895,765 sq ft, it is about 84% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1980, 24 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 55 West Monroe's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 55 West Monroe, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 82 in 2014 to 77 in 2023 (-5 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 91. Site EUI moved from 53.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 36.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 30% decrease. Reported emissions went from 9,504 tCO₂e to 4,623 tCO₂e over the same span (down 51%).
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. 55 West Monroe's 36.9 kBtu/ft² across 895,765 sq ft works out to about 33.1 billion Btu (9,687 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 103.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 9,683,378 kWh of electricity and 14,156 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 55 West Monroe to report its energy use?
55 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:101791:2023). 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
- 190 South LaSalle· 883,718 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 100 North Riverside Plaza· 874,519 sq ft · EUI 21.2 kBtu/ft²
- 10 South LaSalle Street· 871,962 sq ft · score 75 (B)
- Sullivan Center· 870,368 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- 180 North LaSalle· 859,786 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- 200 South Wacker Property LLC· 843,070 sq ft · score 67 (C)
- 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 55 West Monroe's energy grade?
55 West Monroe 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 55 West Monroe use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 36.9 kBtu/ft² (103.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 895,765 sq ft, including 9,683,378 kWh of electricity.
What are 55 West Monroe's carbon emissions?
55 West Monroe reported 4,623 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 55 West Monroe?
55 West Monroe is in Chicago, Illinois 60603. Its coordinates are 41.99311, -87.71157 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 55 West Monroe and when was it built?
55 West Monroe has 895,765 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1980 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 55 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, “55 West Monroe, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/55-west-monroe-7e71a954 (data as of October 2, 2026).