RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER
Courthouse in Chicago, IL · 50 W. Washington · 60602
At a glance
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER is a 1,541,766-square-foot courthouse building at 50 W. Washington in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1965. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 68 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 78.3 kBtu/ft² and 10,558 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 55% of the 2,464 scored buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 68 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 78.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 136.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 10,558 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.8 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 13,996,396 kWh |
| Natural gas | 729,640 therms |
| Water use | 31,952 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 1,541,766 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101762:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 68 | 78.3 kBtu/ft² | 10,558 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | 68 | -5 | 74.1 kBtu/ft² | 10,570 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 73 | -3 | 72.2 kBtu/ft² | 10,603 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 76 | +7 | 76.8 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 69 | -22 | 77.6 kBtu/ft² | 12,262 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 91 | +4 | 67.1 kBtu/ft² | 12,173 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 87 | +2 | 73.0 kBtu/ft² | 13,432 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 85 | +4 | 77.5 kBtu/ft² | 14,868 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 81 | 95.0 kBtu/ft² | 16,427 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
- 50 W. Washington
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60602
- Coordinates
- 41.88983, -87.63697
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER compare with other buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 3,852 benchmarked buildings in Chicago. RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER's ENERGY STAR score of 68 compares with an average of 60 across the 2,464 that report a score. Its site EUI of 78.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 84.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 1,541,766 sq ft, it is about 532% above the average floor area of 244,008 sq ft for those buildings. Its 1965 construction date is close to the group's average year built (1967). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 178 courthouse buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 62 and a site EUI of 76.2 kBtu/ft².
How has RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 81 in 2014 to 68 in 2023 (-13 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 91. Site EUI moved from 95.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 78.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 18% decrease. Reported emissions went from 16,427 tCO₂e to 10,558 tCO₂e over the same span (down 36%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 68 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 68 means the building performs better than about 68% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 68 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 7 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. RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER's 78.3 kBtu/ft² across 1,541,766 sq ft works out to about 120.7 billion Btu (35,380 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 136.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 13,996,396 kWh of electricity, 729,640 therms of natural gas and 31,952 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER to report its energy use?
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER 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:101762:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More courthouse buildings in Chicago
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- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
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Frequently asked questions
What is RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER's energy grade?
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER scores 68 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 RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 78.3 kBtu/ft² (136.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 1,541,766 sq ft, including 13,996,396 kWh of electricity and 729,640 therms of natural gas.
What are RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER's carbon emissions?
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER reported 10,558 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.8 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER?
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER is at 50 W. Washington, in Chicago, Illinois 60602. Its coordinates are 41.88983, -87.63697 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER and when was it built?
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER has 1,541,766 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1965 as its year built. It is classed as courthouse.
Is RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER 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, “RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/richard-j-daley-center-9dbfdc6a (data as of October 2, 2026).