Back of the Yards HS
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 2111 W 47th St · 60609
At a glance
Back of the Yards HS is a 212,285-square-foot K-12 school at 2111 W 47th St in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2013. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 11 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 98.2 kBtu/ft² and 2,041 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 8% of the 365 scored K-12 school buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 11 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 98.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 191.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,041 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 9.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,153,818 kWh |
| Natural gas | 100,863 therms |
| Gross floor area | 212,285 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251873:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 11 | -12 | 98.2 kBtu/ft² | 2,041 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 23 | -4 | 92.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,834 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 27 | -32 | 83.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,766 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 59 | 54.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,369 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 38 | +6 | 87.0 kBtu/ft² | 2,170 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 32 | -51 | 102.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,398 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 83 | +1 | 41.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,606 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 82 | 40.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,715 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
- 2111 W 47th St
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60609
- Coordinates
- 41.94094, -87.66884
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Back of the Yards HS compare with other K-12 school buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 543 K-12 school buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Back of the Yards HS's ENERGY STAR score of 11 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 8% of them and lower than 90%. Its site EUI of 98.2 kBtu/ft² is about 35% above the average of 72.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 9.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 55% above the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 212,285 sq ft, it is about 74% above the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2013, 70 years later than the group's average year built (1943). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Back of the Yards HS's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Back of the Yards HS, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 82 in 2015 to 11 in 2023 (-71 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 83. Site EUI moved from 40.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 98.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 144% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,715 tCO₂e to 2,041 tCO₂e over the same span (up 19%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 11 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 11 means the building performs better than about 11% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 11 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 64 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. Back of the Yards HS's 98.2 kBtu/ft² across 212,285 sq ft works out to about 20.8 billion Btu (6,109 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 191.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,153,818 kWh of electricity and 100,863 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Back of the Yards HS to report its energy use?
Back of the Yards HS 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:251873:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More K-12 school buildings in Chicago
- Prosser HS· 209,971 sq ft · score 7 (D)
- SouthLoopBrn-CPS· 209,160 sq ft · score 100 (A)
- Goode HS· 208,200 sq ft · score 42 (D)
- Irving Park Middle -CPS· 207,520 sq ft · score 95 (A)
- 1450 N. Larabee· 207,325 sq ft
- North-Grand HS· 205,094 sq ft · score 19 (D)
- K-12 School buildings in Chicago· 543 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 Back of the Yards HS's energy grade?
Back of the Yards HS scores 11 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 Back of the Yards HS use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 98.2 kBtu/ft² (191.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 212,285 sq ft, including 3,153,818 kWh of electricity and 100,863 therms of natural gas.
What are Back of the Yards HS's carbon emissions?
Back of the Yards HS reported 2,041 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (9.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Back of the Yards HS?
Back of the Yards HS is at 2111 W 47th St, in Chicago, Illinois 60609. Its coordinates are 41.94094, -87.66884 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Back of the Yards HS and when was it built?
Back of the Yards HS has 212,285 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2013 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Back of the Yards HS 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, “Back of the Yards HS, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/back-of-the-yards-hs-e0e0d337 (data as of October 2, 2026).