Windermere House
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 1642 E 56th Street · 60615
At a glance
Windermere House is a 359,018-square-foot multifamily housing building at 1642 E 56th Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1923. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 84 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 58.9 kBtu/ft² and 1,466 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 71% 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 | 84 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 58.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 81.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,466 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,159,384 kWh |
| Natural gas | 171,859 therms |
| Gross floor area | 359,018 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:158867:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 84 | +28 | 58.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,466 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 56 | -2 | 87.6 kBtu/ft² | 2,031 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 58 | +7 | 77.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,896 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 51 | +31 | 83.6 kBtu/ft² | 2,039 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 20 | -12 | 112.7 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 32 | -1 | 99.6 kBtu/ft² | 2,482 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 33 | -2 | 101.0 kBtu/ft² | 2,527 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 35 | -7 | 100.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,593 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 42 | 92.7 kBtu/ft² | 2,509 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
- 1642 E 56th Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60615
- Coordinates
- 41.88671, -87.63007
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- Chase Tower Chicagoscore —
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- AMA Plazascore 58
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- 71215A State Stscore 45
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- RICHARD J. DALEY CENTERscore 68
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Windermere House 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. Windermere House's ENERGY STAR score of 84 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 71% of them and lower than 27%. Its site EUI of 58.9 kBtu/ft² is about 18% below the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 29% below the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 359,018 sq ft, it is about 74% above the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1923, 48 years earlier than 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 Windermere House's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Windermere House, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 42 in 2015 to 84 in 2023 (+42 points). Site EUI moved from 92.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 58.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 36% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,509 tCO₂e to 1,466 tCO₂e over the same span (down 42%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 84 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 84 means the building performs better than about 84% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 84 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. Windermere House's 58.9 kBtu/ft² across 359,018 sq ft works out to about 21.1 billion Btu (6,197 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 81.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,159,384 kWh of electricity and 171,859 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Windermere House to report its energy use?
Windermere House 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:158867:2023). 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
- Clinton Complex Condominium Association· 358,743 sq ft · score 83 (B)
- Asbury Plaza Venture LLLP· 356,989 sq ft · score 67 (C)
- The Elm at Clark· 356,786 sq ft · score 52 (D)
- Parc Huron Apartments (pc15)· 355,959 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- Americana Towers Condominium· 355,628 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- Arkadia Tower (rk000)· 352,027 sq ft · score 42 (D)
- 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 Windermere House's energy grade?
Windermere House scores 84 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 Windermere House use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 58.9 kBtu/ft² (81.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 359,018 sq ft, including 1,159,384 kWh of electricity and 171,859 therms of natural gas.
What are Windermere House's carbon emissions?
Windermere House reported 1,466 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Windermere House?
Windermere House is at 1642 E 56th Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60615. Its coordinates are 41.88671, -87.63007 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Windermere House and when was it built?
Windermere House has 359,018 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1923 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is Windermere House 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, “Windermere House, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/windermere-house-7eb881c4 (data as of October 2, 2026).