Searle Chemistry Laboratory
Laboratory in Chicago, IL · 5715-35 S Ellis Ave · 60637
At a glance
Searle Chemistry Laboratory is a 85,570-square-foot laboratory building at 5715-35 S Ellis Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 2009. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 598.0 kBtu/ft² and 4,203 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 598.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 924.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 4,203 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 49.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 4,057,214 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,011 therms |
| Water use | 2,512 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 85,570 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:134735:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 598.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,203 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 620.1 kBtu/ft² | 4,193 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 588.3 kBtu/ft² | 4,052 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 534.5 kBtu/ft² | 3,885 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 636.3 kBtu/ft² | 4,600 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 589.5 kBtu/ft² | 4,630 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 698.2 kBtu/ft² | 5,479 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 784.9 kBtu/ft² | 5,932 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 716.2 kBtu/ft² | 5,807 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
- 5715-35 S Ellis Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60637
- Coordinates
- 41.89073, -87.62939
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Searle Chemistry Laboratory compare with other laboratory buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 32 laboratory buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 598.0 kBtu/ft² is about twice the average of 282.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 49.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 84% above the group average of 26.7 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 85,570 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 179,276 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2009, 47 years later than the group's average year built (1962). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 795 laboratory buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 29 and a site EUI of 231.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Searle Chemistry Laboratory's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Searle Chemistry Laboratory, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 716.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 598.0 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 17% decrease. Reported emissions went from 5,807 tCO₂e to 4,203 tCO₂e over the same span (down 28%).
What does a site EUI of 598.0 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. Searle Chemistry Laboratory's 598.0 kBtu/ft² across 85,570 sq ft works out to about 51.2 billion Btu (14,997 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 924.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 4,057,214 kWh of electricity, 1,011 therms of natural gas and 2,512 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Searle Chemistry Laboratory to report its energy use?
Searle Chemistry Laboratory 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:134735:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More laboratory buildings in Chicago
- Bobs Roberts· 76,871 sq ft · EUI 89.4 kBtu/ft²
- Jones Laboratory· 72,388 sq ft · EUI 251.5 kBtu/ft²
- Ryerson Laboratory· 67,717 sq ft · EUI 83.9 kBtu/ft²
- Physics Research Center (PRC)· 67,092 sq ft · EUI 347.1 kBtu/ft²
- Carlson· 67,021 sq ft · EUI 348.6 kBtu/ft²
- Armour· 64,814 sq ft · EUI 408.1 kBtu/ft²
- Laboratory buildings in Chicago· 32 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 Searle Chemistry Laboratory's energy grade?
Searle Chemistry Laboratory did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 598.0 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Searle Chemistry Laboratory use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 598.0 kBtu/ft² (924.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 85,570 sq ft, including 4,057,214 kWh of electricity and 1,011 therms of natural gas.
What are Searle Chemistry Laboratory's carbon emissions?
Searle Chemistry Laboratory reported 4,203 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (49.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Searle Chemistry Laboratory?
Searle Chemistry Laboratory is at 5715-35 S Ellis Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60637. Its coordinates are 41.89073, -87.62939 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Searle Chemistry Laboratory and when was it built?
Searle Chemistry Laboratory has 85,570 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2009 as its year built. It is classed as laboratory.
Is Searle Chemistry Laboratory 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, “Searle Chemistry Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/searle-chemistry-laboratory-13cf66af (data as of October 2, 2026).