Virtual Academy HS / ES
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 1326 W 14th Pl · 60608
At a glance
Virtual Academy HS / ES is a 159,140-square-foot K-12 school at 1326 W 14th Pl in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1906. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 74 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 54.9 kBtu/ft² and 743 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 85% 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 | 74 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 54.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 92.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 743 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 941,030 kWh |
| Natural gas | 55,247 therms |
| Gross floor area | 159,140 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251727:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 74 | +26 | 54.9 kBtu/ft² | 743 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 48 | +10 | 85.3 kBtu/ft² | 740 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 38 | +5 | 90.1 kBtu/ft² | 818 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 33 | 95.9 kBtu/ft² | 904 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | — | — | — |
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
- 1326 W 14th Pl
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60608
- Coordinates
- 41.83160, -87.62793
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Virtual Academy HS / 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. Virtual Academy HS / ES's ENERGY STAR score of 74 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 85% of them and lower than 14%. Its site EUI of 54.9 kBtu/ft² is about 24% below the average of 72.7 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 24% below the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 159,140 sq ft, it is about 31% above the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1906, 37 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 Virtual Academy HS / ES's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 6 Chicago disclosures for Virtual Academy HS / ES, covering report years 2018–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 33 in 2020 to 74 in 2023 (+41 points). Site EUI moved from 95.9 kBtu/ft² (2020) to 54.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 43% decrease. Reported emissions went from 904 tCO₂e to 743 tCO₂e over the same span (down 18%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 74 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 74 means the building performs better than about 74% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 74 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 1 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. Virtual Academy HS / ES's 54.9 kBtu/ft² across 159,140 sq ft works out to about 8.7 billion Btu (2,561 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 92.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 941,030 kWh of electricity and 55,247 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Virtual Academy HS / ES to report its energy use?
Virtual Academy HS / 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:251727:2023). 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
- Penn ES / Kipp Ascend· 158,325 sq ft · score 37 (D)
- Disney II HS· 156,960 sq ft · score 80 (B)
- National Teachers· 156,400 sq ft · score 4 (D)
- McPherson· 155,337 sq ft · score 21 (D)
- Bateman· 151,694 sq ft · score 64 (C)
- Lloyd· 150,436 sq ft · score 39 (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 Virtual Academy HS / ES's energy grade?
Virtual Academy HS / ES scores 74 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 Virtual Academy HS / ES use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 54.9 kBtu/ft² (92.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 159,140 sq ft, including 941,030 kWh of electricity and 55,247 therms of natural gas.
What are Virtual Academy HS / ES's carbon emissions?
Virtual Academy HS / ES reported 743 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Virtual Academy HS / ES?
Virtual Academy HS / ES is at 1326 W 14th Pl, in Chicago, Illinois 60608. Its coordinates are 41.83160, -87.62793 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Virtual Academy HS / ES and when was it built?
Virtual Academy HS / ES has 159,140 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1906 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Virtual Academy HS / 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, “Virtual Academy HS / ES, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/virtual-academy-hs-es-351b3687 (data as of October 2, 2026).