Belle Plaine Apartments
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 820 W. Belle Plaine · 60613
At a glance
Belle Plaine Apartments is a 236,816-square-foot multifamily housing building at 820 W. Belle Plaine in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1972. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 47 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 95.9 kBtu/ft² and 1,573 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 28% 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 | 47 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 95.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 131.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,573 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,238,095 kWh |
| Natural gas | 184,852 therms |
| Gross floor area | 236,816 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:159729:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 47 | -3 | 95.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,573 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 50 | +7 | 104.4 kBtu/ft² | 1,654 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 43 | +10 | 102.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,714 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 33 | -5 | 110.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,893 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 38 | ±0 | 111.2 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 38 | -25 | 113.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,963 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 63 | +9 | 92.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,670 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 54 | 96.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,850 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 820 W. Belle Plaine
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60613
- Coordinates
- 41.88214, -87.65422
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- One South Dearbornscore 81
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- Skybridge CAscore —
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- Alcott and Bryantscore 72
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- Misericordia Homescore —
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Belle Plaine Apartments 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. Belle Plaine Apartments's ENERGY STAR score of 47 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 28% of them and lower than 70%. Its site EUI of 95.9 kBtu/ft² is about 33% 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 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 14% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 236,816 sq ft, it is about 15% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. Its 1972 construction date is close to 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 Belle Plaine Apartments's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for Belle Plaine Apartments, covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 54 in 2016 to 47 in 2023 (-7 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 63. Site EUI moved from 96.1 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 95.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 0% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,850 tCO₂e to 1,573 tCO₂e over the same span (down 15%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 47 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 47 means the building performs better than about 47% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 47 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 28 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. Belle Plaine Apartments's 95.9 kBtu/ft² across 236,816 sq ft works out to about 22.7 billion Btu (6,656 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 131.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,238,095 kWh of electricity and 184,852 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Belle Plaine Apartments to report its energy use?
Belle Plaine Apartments 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:159729:2023). 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
- 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)
- 5040-60 Marine Drive Condominium Association· 234,113 sq ft · score 64 (C)
- 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 Belle Plaine Apartments's energy grade?
Belle Plaine Apartments scores 47 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 Belle Plaine Apartments use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 95.9 kBtu/ft² (131.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 236,816 sq ft, including 1,238,095 kWh of electricity and 184,852 therms of natural gas.
What are Belle Plaine Apartments's carbon emissions?
Belle Plaine Apartments reported 1,573 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Belle Plaine Apartments?
Belle Plaine Apartments is at 820 W. Belle Plaine, in Chicago, Illinois 60613. Its coordinates are 41.88214, -87.65422 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Belle Plaine Apartments and when was it built?
Belle Plaine Apartments has 236,816 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1972 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is Belle Plaine Apartments 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, “Belle Plaine Apartments, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/belle-plaine-apartments-9a2fb8c4 (data as of October 2, 2026).