At a glance
Michigan Plaza is a 1,867,610-square-foot office building at 205/225 N Michigan Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1981. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 43 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 68.1 kBtu/ft² and 17,623 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 11% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 43 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 68.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 188.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 17,623 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 36,705,926 kWh |
| Natural gas | 18,567 therms |
| Water use | 12,772 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,867,610 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101801:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 43 | -28 | 68.1 kBtu/ft² | 17,623 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 71 | -3 | 50.0 kBtu/ft² | 14,620 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 74 | -1 | 49.1 kBtu/ft² | 14,426 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 75 | +2 | 49.6 kBtu/ft² | 15,937 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 73 | +8 | 62.5 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 65 | -17 | 56.9 kBtu/ft² | 19,481 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 82 | +1 | 57.1 kBtu/ft² | 21,731 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 81 | -3 | 57.6 kBtu/ft² | 21,845 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 84 | +8 | 54.5 kBtu/ft² | 22,550 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 76 | 64.0 kBtu/ft² | 26,458 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
- 205/225 N Michigan Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60601
- Coordinates
- 41.91033, -87.63003
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Old Post Officescore 88
Office · 2,493,160 sq ft
- 100/150 S. Wackerscore 78
Office · 1,281,114 sq ft
- The 400 Condominium Associationscore 69
Multifamily Housing · 1,110,000 sq ft
Mixed Use Property · 1,023,851 sq ft
- 333 West Wackerscore 77
Office · 1,012,961 sq ft
- 100 North Riverside Plazascore —
Office · 874,519 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Michigan Plaza compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Michigan Plaza's ENERGY STAR score of 43 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 11% of them and lower than 88%. Its site EUI of 68.1 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 9.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 25% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,867,610 sq ft, it is about 283% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1981, 25 years later than the group's average year built (1957). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has Michigan Plaza's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for Michigan Plaza, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 76 in 2014 to 43 in 2023 (-33 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 84. Site EUI moved from 64.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 68.1 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 6% increase. Reported emissions went from 26,458 tCO₂e to 17,623 tCO₂e over the same span (down 33%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 43 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 43 means the building performs better than about 43% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 43 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 32 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. Michigan Plaza's 68.1 kBtu/ft² across 1,867,610 sq ft works out to about 127.2 billion Btu (37,274 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 188.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 36,705,926 kWh of electricity, 18,567 therms of natural gas and 12,772 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Michigan Plaza to report its energy use?
Michigan Plaza 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:101801:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More office buildings in Chicago
- Accenture Tower· 1,855,810 sq ft · score 70 (B)
- 175 W. Jackson· 1,809,140 sq ft · score 79 (B)
- 320 South Canal· 1,797,756 sq ft · EUI 37.0 kBtu/ft²
- 110 North Wacker Drive - Bank of America Tower· 1,731,460 sq ft · score 66 (C)
- 71 South Wacker· 1,684,534 sq ft · score 88 (A)
- One North Wacker· 1,614,398 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- Office buildings in Chicago· 387 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 Michigan Plaza's energy grade?
Michigan Plaza scores 43 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 Michigan Plaza use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 68.1 kBtu/ft² (188.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,867,610 sq ft, including 36,705,926 kWh of electricity and 18,567 therms of natural gas.
What are Michigan Plaza's carbon emissions?
Michigan Plaza reported 17,623 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (9.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Michigan Plaza?
Michigan Plaza is at 205/225 N Michigan Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60601. Its coordinates are 41.91033, -87.63003 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Michigan Plaza and when was it built?
Michigan Plaza has 1,867,610 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1981 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Michigan Plaza 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, “Michigan Plaza, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/michigan-plaza-cf939acb (data as of October 2, 2026).