Palmer ES
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 5051 N Kenneth Ave · 60630
At a glance
Palmer ES is a 83,282-square-foot K-12 school at 5051 N Kenneth Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1925. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 8 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 123.7 kBtu/ft² and 774 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 6% 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 | 8 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 123.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 184.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 774 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 9.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 765,548 kWh |
| Natural gas | 76,917 therms |
| Gross floor area | 83,282 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251520:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 8 | -23 | 123.7 kBtu/ft² | 774 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 31 | -30 | 93.5 kBtu/ft² | 803 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 61 | +15 | 67.9 kBtu/ft² | 628 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 46 | 82.0 kBtu/ft² | 583 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 69 | -31 | 81.6 kBtu/ft² | 506 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 100 | +28 | 20.9 kBtu/ft² | 207 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 72 | +13 | 62.9 kBtu/ft² | 546 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 59 | 69.8 kBtu/ft² | 653 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
- 5051 N Kenneth Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60630
- Coordinates
- 41.99118, -87.66016
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Palmer ES 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. Palmer ES's ENERGY STAR score of 8 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 6% of them and lower than 93%. Its site EUI of 123.7 kBtu/ft² is about 70% 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 9.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 50% above the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 83,282 sq ft, it is about 32% below the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1925, 18 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 Palmer ES's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Palmer ES, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 59 in 2015 to 8 in 2023 (-51 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 100. Site EUI moved from 69.8 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 123.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 77% increase. Reported emissions went from 653 tCO₂e to 774 tCO₂e over the same span (up 19%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 8 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 8 means the building performs better than about 8% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 8 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 67 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. Palmer ES's 123.7 kBtu/ft² across 83,282 sq ft works out to about 10.3 billion Btu (3,019 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 184.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 765,548 kWh of electricity and 76,917 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Palmer ES to report its energy use?
Palmer ES 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:251520:2023). 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
- Jahn· 83,029 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- British School· 82,901 sq ft · score 93 (A)
- Barton· 82,203 sq ft · score 29 (D)
- Burnham· 82,156 sq ft · score 41 (D)
- Hitch· 82,050 sq ft · score 46 (D)
- Clay· 81,950 sq ft · score 51 (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 Palmer ES's energy grade?
Palmer ES scores 8 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 Palmer ES use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 123.7 kBtu/ft² (184.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 83,282 sq ft, including 765,548 kWh of electricity and 76,917 therms of natural gas.
What are Palmer ES's carbon emissions?
Palmer ES reported 774 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (9.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Palmer ES?
Palmer ES is at 5051 N Kenneth Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60630. Its coordinates are 41.99118, -87.66016 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Palmer ES and when was it built?
Palmer ES has 83,282 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1925 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Palmer ES 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, “Palmer ES, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/palmer-es-064acfed (data as of October 2, 2026).