Belmont-Cragin Northwest
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 5252 W Palmer St · 60639
At a glance
Belmont-Cragin Northwest is a 118,211-square-foot K-12 school at 5252 W Palmer St in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1920. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 64 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 64.8 kBtu/ft² and 553 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 75% 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 | 64 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 64.8 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 93.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 553 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 495,891 kWh |
| Natural gas | 59,622 therms |
| Gross floor area | 118,211 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251702:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 64 | 64.8 kBtu/ft² | 553 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | 57 | -9 | 75.0 kBtu/ft² | 651 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 66 | 67.0 kBtu/ft² | 606 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 74 | -2 | 79.4 kBtu/ft² | 783 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 76 | -23 | 69.2 kBtu/ft² | 748 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 99 | +17 | 19.9 kBtu/ft² | 434 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 82 | 68.7 kBtu/ft² | 772 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
- 5252 W Palmer St
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60639
- Coordinates
- 41.87125, -87.65340
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- 211 E. Chicago Ave.score 77
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- Kelly HSscore 62
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- Senn HSscore 17
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- 640 N LaSallescore 71
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Belmont-Cragin Northwest 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. Belmont-Cragin Northwest's ENERGY STAR score of 64 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 75% of them and lower than 24%. Its site EUI of 64.8 kBtu/ft² is about 11% below the average of 72.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 24% below the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 118,211 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1920, 23 years earlier 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 Belmont-Cragin Northwest's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Belmont-Cragin Northwest, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 82 in 2015 to 64 in 2023 (-18 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 99. Site EUI moved from 68.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 64.8 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 6% decrease. Reported emissions went from 772 tCO₂e to 553 tCO₂e over the same span (down 28%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 64 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 64 means the building performs better than about 64% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 64 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 11 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. Belmont-Cragin Northwest's 64.8 kBtu/ft² across 118,211 sq ft works out to about 7.7 billion Btu (2,245 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 93.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 495,891 kWh of electricity and 59,622 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Belmont-Cragin Northwest to report its energy use?
Belmont-Cragin Northwest 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:251702:2023). 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
- Everett McKinley Dirksen Elementary School· 117,939 sq ft · score 27 (D)
- Mount Greenwood· 117,660 sq ft · score 48 (D)
- Lyon· 117,576 sq ft · score 25 (D)
- Beaubien· 117,451 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- Brentano· 117,104 sq ft · score 75 (B)
- Rickover Military HS· 117,000 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 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 Belmont-Cragin Northwest's energy grade?
Belmont-Cragin Northwest scores 64 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Belmont-Cragin Northwest use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 64.8 kBtu/ft² (93.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 118,211 sq ft, including 495,891 kWh of electricity and 59,622 therms of natural gas.
What are Belmont-Cragin Northwest's carbon emissions?
Belmont-Cragin Northwest reported 553 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Belmont-Cragin Northwest?
Belmont-Cragin Northwest is at 5252 W Palmer St, in Chicago, Illinois 60639. Its coordinates are 41.87125, -87.65340 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Belmont-Cragin Northwest and when was it built?
Belmont-Cragin Northwest has 118,211 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1920 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Belmont-Cragin Northwest 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, “Belmont-Cragin Northwest, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/belmont-cragin-northwest-6a8c0d05 (data as of October 2, 2026).