Vivian Carter Apartments
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 6401 S. Yale Ave · 60621
At a glance
Vivian Carter Apartments is a 150,136-square-foot multifamily housing building at 6401 S. Yale Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1971. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 54 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 83.8 kBtu/ft² and 1,009 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 36% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 54 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 83.8 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 133.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,009 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,148,663 kWh |
| Natural gas | 86,667 therms |
| Gross floor area | 150,136 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:250108:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 54 | +4 | 83.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,009 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 50 | 98.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,098 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | 65 | 87.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,039 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 61 | -17 | 94.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,151 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 78 | -10 | 71.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,027 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 88 | 63.2 kBtu/ft² | 961 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 6401 S. Yale Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60621
- Coordinates
- 41.89324, -87.65002
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Willis Tower (Rivion LLC)score 32
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- Aon Centerscore 79
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- 500 Lake Shore Drivescore 77
Multifamily Housing · 716,899 sq ft
- The Drake, IL-SVscore 38
Hotel · 644,940 sq ft
- MarOuee at Block 37score 57
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Multifamily Housing · 579,393 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Vivian Carter Apartments compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 1,515 multifamily housing buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Vivian Carter Apartments's ENERGY STAR score of 54 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 36% of them and lower than 64%. Its site EUI of 83.8 kBtu/ft² is about 16% above the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 16% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 150,136 sq ft, it is about 27% below the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. Its 1971 construction date is close to the group's average year built (1971). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has Vivian Carter Apartments's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for Vivian Carter Apartments, covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 88 in 2016 to 54 in 2023 (-34 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 88. Site EUI moved from 63.2 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 83.8 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 33% increase. Reported emissions went from 961 tCO₂e to 1,009 tCO₂e over the same span (up 5%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 54 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 54 means the building performs better than about 54% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 54 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 21 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. Vivian Carter Apartments's 83.8 kBtu/ft² across 150,136 sq ft works out to about 12.6 billion Btu (3,687 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 133.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,148,663 kWh of electricity and 86,667 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Vivian Carter Apartments to report its energy use?
Vivian Carter Apartments 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:250108:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More multifamily housing buildings in Chicago
- (IL0404) - 212 E. Condominium (212 E. Cullerton)· 150,107 sq ft · score 45 (D)
- The Kent Apartments· 150,000 sq ft · score 68 (C)
- Park Edgewater Condominium Association· 150,000 sq ft · score 81 (B)
- Pomeroy· 150,000 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- 5000 South Cornell· 149,950 sq ft · score 94 (A)
- Mary Jane Richardson-Jones Apartments· 149,900 sq ft · score 85 (A)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 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 Vivian Carter Apartments's energy grade?
Vivian Carter Apartments scores 54 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Vivian Carter Apartments use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 83.8 kBtu/ft² (133.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 150,136 sq ft, including 1,148,663 kWh of electricity and 86,667 therms of natural gas.
What are Vivian Carter Apartments's carbon emissions?
Vivian Carter Apartments reported 1,009 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Vivian Carter Apartments?
Vivian Carter Apartments is at 6401 S. Yale Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60621. Its coordinates are 41.89324, -87.65002 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Vivian Carter Apartments and when was it built?
Vivian Carter Apartments has 150,136 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1971 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is Vivian Carter Apartments 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, “Vivian Carter Apartments, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/vivian-carter-apartments-11452c9d (data as of October 2, 2026).