550 S FLOWER ST

How does 550 S FLOWER ST compare with other hotel buildings in Los Angeles?

The latest disclosures cover 77 hotel buildings in Los Angeles, out of 11,498 buildings citywide. 550 S FLOWER ST's ENERGY STAR score of 39 compares with an average of 68 across the 73 that report a score; it scores higher than 12% of them and lower than 84%. Its site EUI of 99.7 kBtu/ft² is about 46% above the average of 68.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 172,197 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 172,912 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1948, 25 years earlier than the group's average year built (1973). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 3,812 hotel buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 65 and a site EUI of 77.8 kBtu/ft².

How has 550 S FLOWER ST's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 8 Los Angeles disclosures for 550 S FLOWER ST, covering report years 2018–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 12 in 2018 to 39 in 2025 (+27 points); its best year on file was 2022, at 95. Site EUI moved from 157.2 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 99.7 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 37% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,303 tCO₂e to 945 tCO₂e over the same span (down 27%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 39 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 39 means the building performs better than about 39% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 39 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 36 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. 550 S FLOWER ST's 99.7 kBtu/ft² across 172,197 sq ft works out to about 17.2 billion Btu (5,031 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 188.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 5,842 thousand gallons of water for the year.

Which law requires 550 S FLOWER ST to report its energy use?

550 S FLOWER ST 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:483832840763:2025). 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.