At a glance
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC is a 89,353-square-foot office building at 542 S Dearborn in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1891. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 70 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 68.4 kBtu/ft² and 547 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 38% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 70 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 68.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 121.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 547 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 749,537 kWh |
| Natural gas | 35,539 therms |
| Gross floor area | 89,353 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:156557:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 70 | +22 | 68.4 kBtu/ft² | 547 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 48 | 99.1 kBtu/ft² | 733 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | |
| 2017 | 64 | -18 | 94.2 kBtu/ft² | 917 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 82 | +8 | 57.5 kBtu/ft² | 763 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 74 | 95.4 kBtu/ft² | 887 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
- 542 S Dearborn
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.90680, -87.66773
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 135 S LaSalle Property LLCscore —
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- Xavierscore 59
Multifamily Housing · 232,582 sq ft
- Van Buren Park Apartmentsscore 67
Multifamily Housing · 210,619 sq ft
Multifamily Housing · 199,011 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC's ENERGY STAR score of 70 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 38% of them and lower than 60%. Its site EUI of 68.4 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with 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 6.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 19% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 89,353 sq ft, it is about 82% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1891, 65 years earlier 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 A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 74 in 2015 to 70 in 2023 (-4 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 82. Site EUI moved from 95.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 68.4 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 28% decrease. Reported emissions went from 887 tCO₂e to 547 tCO₂e over the same span (down 38%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 70 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 70 means the building performs better than about 70% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 70 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 5 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. A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC's 68.4 kBtu/ft² across 89,353 sq ft works out to about 6.1 billion Btu (1,791 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 121.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 749,537 kWh of electricity and 35,539 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC to report its energy use?
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC 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:156557:2023). 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
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- 2229 South Halsted· 85,007 sq ft · score 59 (C)
- Parish_OuigleyCenter· 84,100 sq ft · score 46 (D)
- 133 N Jefferson· 83,000 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- Lurie Children's Faculty Office Building· 82,717 sq ft · score 53 (D)
- 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 A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC's energy grade?
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC scores 70 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 A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 68.4 kBtu/ft² (121.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 89,353 sq ft, including 749,537 kWh of electricity and 35,539 therms of natural gas.
What are A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC's carbon emissions?
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC reported 547 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC?
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC is at 542 S Dearborn, in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.90680, -87.66773 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC and when was it built?
A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC has 89,353 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1891 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC 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, “A&M 542 SOUTH DEARBORN, LLC, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/a-m-542-south-dearborn-llc-7b13fd2d (data as of October 2, 2026).