640 North Wells
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 640 North Wells St. · 60642
At a glance
640 North Wells is a 273,509-square-foot multifamily housing building at 640 North Wells St. in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2017. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 61 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 52.6 kBtu/ft² and 1,488 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 44% 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 | 61 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 52.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 108.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,488 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,442,725 kWh |
| Natural gas | 60,640 therms |
| Water use | 11,710 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 273,509 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:256489:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 61 | +1 | 52.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,488 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 60 | +9 | 60.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,580 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 51 | +7 | 72.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,592 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 44 | +1 | 83.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,766 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 43 | 89.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,925 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
- 640 North Wells St.
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60642
- Coordinates
- 41.80019, -87.58892
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 353 North Clarkscore 76
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- 525 West Monroescore 78
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- Two North LaSallescore 81
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- 110 NC LLCscore 87
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- Cook County Buildingscore 61
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Multifamily Housing · 562,000 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 640 North Wells 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. 640 North Wells's ENERGY STAR score of 61 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 44% of them and lower than 55%. Its site EUI of 52.6 kBtu/ft² is about 27% 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 5.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 273,509 sq ft, it is about 33% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2017, 46 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 640 North Wells's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 5 Chicago disclosures for 640 North Wells, covering report years 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 43 in 2018 to 61 in 2023 (+18 points). Site EUI moved from 89.5 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 52.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 41% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,925 tCO₂e to 1,488 tCO₂e over the same span (down 23%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 61 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 61 means the building performs better than about 61% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 61 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 14 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. 640 North Wells's 52.6 kBtu/ft² across 273,509 sq ft works out to about 14.4 billion Btu (4,216 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 108.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,442,725 kWh of electricity, 60,640 therms of natural gas and 11,710 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 640 North Wells to report its energy use?
640 North Wells 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:256489:2023). 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
- Lake Terrace Condominium Association· 273,143 sq ft · score 46 (D)
- Prairie House at Central Station· 273,040 sq ft · score 41 (D)
- Lofts At Museum Park Condominium Association· 271,348 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- One One One Morgan· 271,138 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- (IL610) - 2400 Lakeview Condo (2400 N. Lakeview)· 270,478 sq ft · score 38 (D)
- Lincoln Park Plaza· 270,315 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
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Frequently asked questions
What is 640 North Wells's energy grade?
640 North Wells scores 61 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 640 North Wells use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 52.6 kBtu/ft² (108.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 273,509 sq ft, including 2,442,725 kWh of electricity and 60,640 therms of natural gas.
What are 640 North Wells's carbon emissions?
640 North Wells reported 1,488 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 640 North Wells?
640 North Wells is at 640 North Wells St., in Chicago, Illinois 60642. Its coordinates are 41.80019, -87.58892 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 640 North Wells and when was it built?
640 North Wells has 273,509 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2017 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is 640 North Wells 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, “640 North Wells, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/640-north-wells-2ffce8fc (data as of October 2, 2026).