At a glance
71 South Wacker is a 1,684,534-square-foot office building at 71 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2005. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 88 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 41.2 kBtu/ft² and 9,656 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 86% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 88 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 41.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 114.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 9,656 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 20,164,927 kWh |
| Natural gas | 5,332 therms |
| Gross floor area | 1,684,534 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101736:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 88 | +11 | 41.2 kBtu/ft² | 9,656 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 77 | -3 | 53.2 kBtu/ft² | 11,762 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 80 | +7 | 48.9 kBtu/ft² | 11,756 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 73 | -1 | 55.6 kBtu/ft² | 14,570 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 74 | +5 | 68.5 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 69 | -19 | 65.4 kBtu/ft² | 18,215 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | +1 | 66.5 kBtu/ft² | 20,615 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 87 | +5 | 70.7 kBtu/ft² | 21,847 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 82 | +3 | 73.8 kBtu/ft² | 24,857 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 79 | 79.0 kBtu/ft² | 26,684 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
- 71 S. Wacker Drive
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60606
- Coordinates
- 41.92392, -87.65735
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 175 W. Jacksonscore 79
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- EnV Chicago (nv091) (nv092)score 36
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- LondonHouse Chicagoscore 32
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- Warwick Allerton Hotel Chicagoscore 55
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- Alta Grand Central (lt027)score 20
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does 71 South Wacker compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. 71 South Wacker's ENERGY STAR score of 88 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 86% of them and lower than 12%. Its site EUI of 41.2 kBtu/ft² is about 41% 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 5.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 24% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,684,534 sq ft, it is about 245% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2005, 49 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 71 South Wacker's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for 71 South Wacker, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 79 in 2014 to 88 in 2023 (+9 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 88. Site EUI moved from 79.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 41.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 48% decrease. Reported emissions went from 26,684 tCO₂e to 9,656 tCO₂e over the same span (down 64%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 88 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 88 means the building performs better than about 88% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 88 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. 71 South Wacker's 41.2 kBtu/ft² across 1,684,534 sq ft works out to about 69.4 billion Btu (20,340 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 114.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 20,164,927 kWh of electricity and 5,332 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires 71 South Wacker to report its energy use?
71 South Wacker 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:101736:2023). 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
- One North Wacker· 1,614,398 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- 55 East Monroe Office· 1,609,901 sq ft · score 67 (C)
- 70 W Madison· 1,601,760 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- 141 West Jackson Boulevard (Chicago Board of Trade Building)· 1,567,753 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- 300 North LaSalle· 1,506,959 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- 150 North Riverside Plaza· 1,487,050 sq ft · score 68 (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 71 South Wacker's energy grade?
71 South Wacker scores 88 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 71 South Wacker use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 41.2 kBtu/ft² (114.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,684,534 sq ft, including 20,164,927 kWh of electricity and 5,332 therms of natural gas.
What are 71 South Wacker's carbon emissions?
71 South Wacker reported 9,656 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is 71 South Wacker?
71 South Wacker is at 71 S. Wacker Drive, in Chicago, Illinois 60606. Its coordinates are 41.92392, -87.65735 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 71 South Wacker and when was it built?
71 South Wacker has 1,684,534 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2005 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 71 South Wacker 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, “71 South Wacker, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/71-south-wacker-ba9f4ca8 (data as of October 2, 2026).