621 S UNION AVE

How does 621 S UNION AVE compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Los Angeles?

The latest disclosures cover 3,538 multifamily housing buildings in Los Angeles, out of 11,498 buildings citywide. 621 S UNION AVE's ENERGY STAR score of 76 compares with an average of 78 across the 3,344 that report a score; it scores higher than 35% of them and lower than 63%. Its site EUI of 56.5 kBtu/ft² is about 52% above the average of 37.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 32,204 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 60,540 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1913, 62 years earlier than the group's average year built (1975). 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 621 S UNION AVE's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 8 Los Angeles disclosures for 621 S UNION AVE, covering report years 2018–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 4 in 2018 to 76 in 2025 (+72 points). Site EUI moved from 76.7 kBtu/ft² (2018) to 56.5 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 26% decrease. Reported emissions went from 143 tCO₂e to 99 tCO₂e over the same span (down 31%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 76 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 76 means the building performs better than about 76% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 76 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 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. 621 S UNION AVE's 56.5 kBtu/ft² across 32,204 sq ft works out to about 1.8 billion Btu (533 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 91.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 4,008 thousand gallons of water for the year.

Which law requires 621 S UNION AVE to report its energy use?

621 S UNION 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:479964843008:2025). 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.