Chestnut Tower (ch084)
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 121 W Chestnut St · 60610
At a glance
Chestnut Tower (ch084) is a 234,615-square-foot multifamily housing building at 121 W Chestnut St in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2001. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 49 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 81.7 kBtu/ft² and 1,519 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 31% 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 | 49 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 81.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 128.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,519 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,692,903 kWh |
| Natural gas | 133,867 therms |
| Water use | 9,055 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 234,615 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:159103:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 49 | -16 | 81.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,519 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 65 | -3 | 81.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,455 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 68 | -23 | 74.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,435 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 91 | +28 | 68.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,222 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 63 | -26 | 83.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,670 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 89 | +15 | 75.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,340 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 74 | +50 | 69.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,612 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 24 | 103.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,907 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
- 121 W Chestnut St
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60610
- Coordinates
- 41.81821, -87.60406
Within ~1 km
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How does Chestnut Tower (ch084) 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. Chestnut Tower (ch084)'s ENERGY STAR score of 49 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 31% of them and lower than 68%. Its site EUI of 81.7 kBtu/ft² is about 13% 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 6.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 12% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 234,615 sq ft, it is about 14% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2001, 30 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 Chestnut Tower (ch084)'s energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for Chestnut Tower (ch084), covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 24 in 2016 to 49 in 2023 (+25 points); its best year on file was 2020, at 91. Site EUI moved from 103.9 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 81.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 21% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,907 tCO₂e to 1,519 tCO₂e over the same span (down 20%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 49 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 49 means the building performs better than about 49% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 49 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 26 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. Chestnut Tower (ch084)'s 81.7 kBtu/ft² across 234,615 sq ft works out to about 19.2 billion Btu (5,618 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 128.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,692,903 kWh of electricity, 133,867 therms of natural gas and 9,055 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Chestnut Tower (ch084) to report its energy use?
Chestnut Tower (ch084) 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:159103:2023). 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
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Frequently asked questions
What is Chestnut Tower (ch084)'s energy grade?
Chestnut Tower (ch084) scores 49 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 Chestnut Tower (ch084) use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 81.7 kBtu/ft² (128.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 234,615 sq ft, including 1,692,903 kWh of electricity and 133,867 therms of natural gas.
What are Chestnut Tower (ch084)'s carbon emissions?
Chestnut Tower (ch084) reported 1,519 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Chestnut Tower (ch084)?
Chestnut Tower (ch084) is at 121 W Chestnut St, in Chicago, Illinois 60610. Its coordinates are 41.81821, -87.60406 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Chestnut Tower (ch084) and when was it built?
Chestnut Tower (ch084) has 234,615 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2001 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is Chestnut Tower (ch084) 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, “Chestnut Tower (ch084), Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/chestnut-tower-ch084-1bf234d4 (data as of October 2, 2026).