559 S BROADWAY

How does 559 S BROADWAY compare with other retail store buildings in Los Angeles?

The latest disclosures cover 154 retail store buildings in Los Angeles, out of 11,498 buildings citywide. 559 S BROADWAY's ENERGY STAR score of 40 compares with an average of 71 across the 126 that report a score; it scores higher than 21% of them and lower than 79%. Its site EUI of 24.7 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 54.5 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 29,410 sq ft, it is about 62% below the average floor area of 78,068 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1928, 49 years earlier than the group's average year built (1977). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 3,025 retail store buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 57.7 kBtu/ft².

How has 559 S BROADWAY's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 8 Los Angeles disclosures for 559 S BROADWAY, covering report years 2018–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 44 in 2023 to 40 in 2025 (-4 points); its best year on file was 2023, at 44. Site EUI moved from 26.7 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 24.7 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 7% decrease. Reported emissions went from 14 tCO₂e to 41 tCO₂e over the same span (up 188%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 40 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 40 means the building performs better than about 40% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 40 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 35 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. 559 S BROADWAY's 24.7 kBtu/ft² across 29,410 sq ft works out to about 0.7 billion Btu (213 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 69.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 180 thousand gallons of water for the year.

Which law requires 559 S BROADWAY to report its energy use?

559 S BROADWAY 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:485292839589:2025). 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.