At a glance
The National is a 580,000-square-foot office building at 125 S. Clark Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1907. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 79 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 79.6 kBtu/ft² and 3,715 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 64% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 79 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 79.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 125.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 3,715 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 4,273,866 kWh |
| Natural gas | 225,845 therms |
| Water use | 3 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 580,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103705:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 79 | -13 | 79.6 kBtu/ft² | 3,715 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 92 | +9 | 95.5 kBtu/ft² | 4,078 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 83 | +5 | 99.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,281 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 78 | +17 | 87.3 kBtu/ft² | 4,065 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 61 | +3 | 120.2 kBtu/ft² | 5,513 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 58 | -30 | 115.8 kBtu/ft² | 5,213 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 88 | -5 | 104.2 kBtu/ft² | 4,730 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 93 | 72.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,449 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
- 125 S. Clark Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60603
- Coordinates
- 41.96922, -87.65298
Within ~1 km
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How does The National compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. The National's ENERGY STAR score of 79 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 64% of them and lower than 32%. Its site EUI of 79.6 kBtu/ft² is about 13% above the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 15% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 580,000 sq ft, it is about 19% above the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1907, 49 years earlier 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 The National's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for The National, covering report years 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 93 in 2014 to 79 in 2023 (-14 points); its best year on file was 2014, at 93. Site EUI moved from 72.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 79.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 11% increase. Reported emissions went from 4,449 tCO₂e to 3,715 tCO₂e over the same span (down 17%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 79 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 79 means the building performs better than about 79% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 79 falls in band B — above median (70–84). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. 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. The National's 79.6 kBtu/ft² across 580,000 sq ft works out to about 46.2 billion Btu (13,531 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 125.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 4,273,866 kWh of electricity, 225,845 therms of natural gas and 3 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The National to report its energy use?
The National 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:103705:2023). 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
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- 123 N Wacker· 555,996 sq ft · score 73 (B)
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- 200 West Jackson Boulevard Building· 534,330 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- 332 Property LLC· 529,401 sq ft · score 73 (B)
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- 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 The National's energy grade?
The National scores 79 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does The National use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 79.6 kBtu/ft² (125.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 580,000 sq ft, including 4,273,866 kWh of electricity and 225,845 therms of natural gas.
What are The National's carbon emissions?
The National reported 3,715 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is The National?
The National is at 125 S. Clark Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60603. Its coordinates are 41.96922, -87.65298 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The National and when was it built?
The National has 580,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1907 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is The National 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, “The National, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/the-national-299f909b (data as of October 2, 2026).