520 S VIRGIL AVE

How does 520 S VIRGIL AVE compare with other office buildings in Los Angeles?

The latest disclosures cover 676 office buildings in Los Angeles, out of 11,498 buildings citywide. 520 S VIRGIL AVE's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 77 across the 591 that report a score; it scores higher than 81% of them and lower than 16%. Its site EUI of 18.1 kBtu/ft² is about 59% below the average of 44.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 49,154 sq ft, it is about 67% below the average floor area of 147,328 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1960, 15 years earlier than the group's average year built (1975). 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 520 S VIRGIL AVE's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 8 Los Angeles disclosures for 520 S VIRGIL AVE, covering report years 2018–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 100 in 2018 to 97 in 2025 (-3 points); its best year on file was 2018, at 100. Site EUI moved from 7.6 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 18.1 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 138% increase. Reported emissions went from 24 tCO₂e to 51 tCO₂e over the same span (up 117%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 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 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). 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 Los Angeles, 63% 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. 520 S VIRGIL AVE's 18.1 kBtu/ft² across 49,154 sq ft works out to about 0.9 billion Btu (261 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 50.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 284 thousand gallons of water for the year.

Which law requires 520 S VIRGIL AVE to report its energy use?

520 S VIRGIL AVE reports under LA Municipal Code Div. 97, §91.9701 (EBEWE), the legal basis of Los Angeles's Existing Buildings Energy & Water Efficiency (EBEWE) program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record la:474843845973:2025). EBEWE requires annual benchmarking plus audits/retro-commissioning every five years for privately owned buildings of 20,000 sq ft or more; non-compliance carries a $202 fee (LAMC §91.9712) plus possible late fees.