Circuit Court South Tower
Courthouse in Montgomery County, MD · 50 Maryland Ave · 20850
At a glance
Circuit Court South Tower is a 166,000-square-foot courthouse building at 50 Maryland Ave in Montgomery County, Maryland, built in 2013. In its 2024 Montgomery County benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 55 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 96.3 kBtu/ft² and 1,156 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 27% of the 1,259 scored buildings in Montgomery County.
Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21) · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 55 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 96.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 194.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,156 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 2,595,665 kWh |
| Natural gas | 71,268 therms |
| Gross floor area | 166,000 sq ft |
| Source record | montgomery_county:5245113:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 55 | -6 | 96.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,156 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 61 | 83.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,024 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21)
Montgomery County's BEPS (Bill 16-21; regulations approved in 2025) sets declining site-EUI standards for buildings of 25,000+ sq ft, with interim and then final standards later this decade and into the 2030s depending on building type.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 50 Maryland Ave
- State
- Maryland
- ZIP
- 20850
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
This source publishes no coordinates, so nearby buildings can't be resolved yet.
See also: most efficient in Montgomery County · biggest emitters
How does Circuit Court South Tower compare with other buildings in Montgomery County?
The latest disclosures cover 1,766 benchmarked buildings in Montgomery County. Circuit Court South Tower's ENERGY STAR score of 55 compares with an average of 69 across the 1,259 that report a score. Its site EUI of 96.3 kBtu/ft² is about 39% above the average of 69.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 166,000 sq ft, it is about 22% above the average floor area of 136,354 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2013, 28 years later than the group's average year built (1985). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 178 courthouse buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 62 and a site EUI of 76.2 kBtu/ft².
How has Circuit Court South Tower's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 2 Montgomery County disclosures for Circuit Court South Tower, covering report years 2023–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 61 in 2023 to 55 in 2024 (-6 points); its best year on file was 2023, at 61. Site EUI moved from 83.8 kBtu/ft² (2023) to 96.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), an 15% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,024 tCO₂e to 1,156 tCO₂e over the same span (up 13%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 55 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 55 means the building performs better than about 55% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 55 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 20 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Montgomery County, 53% 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. Circuit Court South Tower's 96.3 kBtu/ft² across 166,000 sq ft works out to about 16 billion Btu (4,685 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 194.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,595,665 kWh of electricity and 71,268 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Circuit Court South Tower to report its energy use?
Circuit Court South Tower reports under the Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21), the legal basis of Montgomery County's Commercial Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record montgomery_county:5245113:2024). Montgomery County's BEPS (Bill 16-21; regulations approved in 2025) sets declining site-EUI standards for buildings of 25,000+ sq ft, with interim and then final standards later this decade and into the 2030s depending on building type.
More courthouse buildings in Montgomery County
Frequently asked questions
What is Circuit Court South Tower's energy grade?
Circuit Court South Tower scores 55 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2024 Montgomery County disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Circuit Court South Tower use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 96.3 kBtu/ft² (194.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 166,000 sq ft, including 2,595,665 kWh of electricity and 71,268 therms of natural gas.
What are Circuit Court South Tower's carbon emissions?
Circuit Court South Tower reported 1,156 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is Circuit Court South Tower?
Circuit Court South Tower is at 50 Maryland Ave, in Montgomery County, Maryland 20850.
How big is Circuit Court South Tower and when was it built?
Circuit Court South Tower has 166,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2013 as its year built. It is classed as courthouse.
Is Circuit Court South Tower covered by the Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21)?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Commercial Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21).
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About this data
Source: Commercial Building Energy Benchmarking (Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14) / BEPS (Bill 16-21)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Circuit Court South Tower, Montgomery County, Maryland — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/montgomery-county/circuit-court-south-tower-07da9c7c (data as of October 2, 2026).