At a glance
U.S. Railroad Retirement is a 383,007-square-foot office building at 844 N. Rush Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1923. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 72 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 76.3 kBtu/ft² and 2,511 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 43% of the 320 scored office buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 72 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 76.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 130.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,511 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,237,784 kWh |
| Natural gas | 181,735 therms |
| Water use | 2,783 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 383,007 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:103798:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 72 | +2 | 76.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,511 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 70 | 86.1 kBtu/ft² | 2,628 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 76.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,770 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 82.7 kBtu/ft² | 3,030 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 98.2 kBtu/ft² | 3,726 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 96.0 kBtu/ft² | 3,726 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 86.9 kBtu/ft² | 3,858 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 87.3 kBtu/ft² | 3,974 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 87.3 kBtu/ft² | 4,237 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 107.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,580 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
- 844 N. Rush Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60611
- Coordinates
- 41.88562, -87.63435
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- theMART, Chicagoscore —
Office · 4,131,093 sq ft
- 10/30 South Wackerscore 72
Office · 3,014,304 sq ft
- Chase Tower Chicagoscore —
Financial Office · 2,521,929 sq ft
- AMA Plazascore 58
Office · 1,870,680 sq ft
- 71215A State Stscore 45
Retail Store · 1,841,736 sq ft
- RICHARD J. DALEY CENTERscore 68
Courthouse · 1,541,766 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does U.S. Railroad Retirement compare with other office buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 387 office buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. U.S. Railroad Retirement's ENERGY STAR score of 72 compares with an average of 69 across the 320 that report a score; it scores higher than 43% of them and lower than 54%. Its site EUI of 76.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 70.4 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 6.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 12% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 383,007 sq ft, it is about 22% below the average floor area of 488,124 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1923, 33 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 U.S. Railroad Retirement's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for U.S. Railroad Retirement, covering report years 2014–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 70 in 2022 to 72 in 2023 (+2 points). Site EUI moved from 107.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 76.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 29% decrease. Reported emissions went from 4,580 tCO₂e to 2,511 tCO₂e over the same span (down 45%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 72 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 72 means the building performs better than about 72% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 72 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 3 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. U.S. Railroad Retirement's 76.3 kBtu/ft² across 383,007 sq ft works out to about 29.2 billion Btu (8,565 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 130.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,237,784 kWh of electricity, 181,735 therms of natural gas and 2,783 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires U.S. Railroad Retirement to report its energy use?
U.S. Railroad Retirement 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:103798:2023). 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
- MarOuette Building· 372,265 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 33 N. Dearborn· 372,134 sq ft · score 79 (B)
- 200 S. Michigan Ave· 371,566 sq ft · score 92 (A)
- 333 North Michigan· 363,431 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- 625 N Michigan Avenue· 359,409 sq ft · score 86 (A)
- HeadOuarters· 347,691 sq ft · score 57 (C)
- 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 U.S. Railroad Retirement's energy grade?
U.S. Railroad Retirement scores 72 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 U.S. Railroad Retirement use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 76.3 kBtu/ft² (130.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 383,007 sq ft, including 3,237,784 kWh of electricity and 181,735 therms of natural gas.
What are U.S. Railroad Retirement's carbon emissions?
U.S. Railroad Retirement reported 2,511 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is U.S. Railroad Retirement?
U.S. Railroad Retirement is at 844 N. Rush Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60611. Its coordinates are 41.88562, -87.63435 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is U.S. Railroad Retirement and when was it built?
U.S. Railroad Retirement has 383,007 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1923 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is U.S. Railroad Retirement 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, “U.S. Railroad Retirement, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/u-s-railroad-retirement-f780ea88 (data as of October 2, 2026).