Alta Grand Central (lt027)
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 221 W Harrison St · 60607
At a glance
Alta Grand Central (lt027) is a 237,020-square-foot multifamily housing building at 221 W Harrison St in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2020. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 20 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 98.3 kBtu/ft² and 2,071 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 10% 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 | 20 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 98.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 174.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,071 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 8.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,814,413 kWh |
| Natural gas | 137,003 therms |
| Gross floor area | 237,020 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:256728:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 20 | -2 | 98.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,071 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 22 | -72 | 105.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,131 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 94 | 68.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,198 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | — | — | — |
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
- 221 W Harrison St
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60607
- Coordinates
- 41.92535, -87.66217
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Alta Grand Central (lt027) 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. Alta Grand Central (lt027)'s ENERGY STAR score of 20 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 10% of them and lower than 90%. Its site EUI of 98.3 kBtu/ft² is about 37% above the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 8.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 50% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 237,020 sq ft, it is about 15% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2020, 49 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 Alta Grand Central (lt027)'s energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 5 Chicago disclosures for Alta Grand Central (lt027), covering report years 2019–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 94 in 2021 to 20 in 2023 (-74 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 94. Site EUI moved from 68.1 kBtu/ft² (2021) to 98.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 44% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,198 tCO₂e to 2,071 tCO₂e over the same span (up 73%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 20 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 20 means the building performs better than about 20% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 20 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 55 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. Alta Grand Central (lt027)'s 98.3 kBtu/ft² across 237,020 sq ft works out to about 23.3 billion Btu (6,828 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 174.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,814,413 kWh of electricity and 137,003 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Alta Grand Central (lt027) to report its energy use?
Alta Grand Central (lt027) 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:256728:2023). 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
- Belle Plaine Apartments· 236,816 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- 3130 N. Lake Shore Apartments· 236,406 sq ft · score 52 (D)
- 1122 N Dearborn· 235,263 sq ft · score 66 (C)
- 5000 East End Condominium Association· 234,944 sq ft · score 70 (B)
- Lakeview East Cooperative· 234,695 sq ft · score 26 (D)
- Chestnut Tower (ch084)· 234,615 sq ft · score 49 (D)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 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 Alta Grand Central (lt027)'s energy grade?
Alta Grand Central (lt027) scores 20 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Alta Grand Central (lt027) use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 98.3 kBtu/ft² (174.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 237,020 sq ft, including 2,814,413 kWh of electricity and 137,003 therms of natural gas.
What are Alta Grand Central (lt027)'s carbon emissions?
Alta Grand Central (lt027) reported 2,071 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (8.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Alta Grand Central (lt027)?
Alta Grand Central (lt027) is at 221 W Harrison St, in Chicago, Illinois 60607. Its coordinates are 41.92535, -87.66217 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Alta Grand Central (lt027) and when was it built?
Alta Grand Central (lt027) has 237,020 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2020 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is Alta Grand Central (lt027) 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, “Alta Grand Central (lt027), Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/alta-grand-central-lt027-8904f412 (data as of October 2, 2026).