THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET
Worship Facility in New York City, NY · 490 EAST 138 STREET · 10454
At a glance
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET is a 25,811-square-foot worship facility in New York City, New York, built in 1927. In its 2024 New York City benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 68 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 40.1 kBtu/ft² and 63 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 74% of the 224 scored worship facility buildings in New York City.
Local Law 84 (LL84) · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 68 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 40.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 50.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 63 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 2.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 35,539 kWh |
| Natural gas | 9,148 therms |
| Water use | 158 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 25,811 sq ft |
| Source record | nyc:6289440:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 68 | +42 | 40.1 kBtu/ft² | 63 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 26 | -34 | 78.6 kBtu/ft² | 121 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 60 | 49.8 kBtu/ft² | 72 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Local Law 84 (LL84)
Under Local Law 97, buildings over 25,000 sq ft face carbon caps with fines of $268 per metric ton of CO₂e over the limit, phasing in from 2024.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 490 EAST 138 STREET
- City
- New York City
- State
- New York
- ZIP
- 10454
- Coordinates
- 40.80782, -73.91987
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- MOTT HAVENscore 4
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See also: most efficient in New York City · biggest emitters
How does THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET compare with other worship facility buildings in New York City?
The latest disclosures cover 370 worship facility buildings in New York City, out of 48,310 buildings citywide. THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET's ENERGY STAR score of 68 compares with an average of 43 across the 224 that report a score; it scores higher than 74% of them and lower than 25%. Its site EUI of 40.1 kBtu/ft² is about 36% below the average of 62.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 2.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about half of the group average of 4.6 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 25,811 sq ft, it is about 42% below the average floor area of 44,868 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1927, 10 years earlier than the group's average year built (1937). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,035 worship facility buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 50 and a site EUI of 47.8 kBtu/ft².
How has THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 3 New York City disclosures for THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET, covering report years 2022–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 60 in 2022 to 68 in 2024 (+8 points). Site EUI moved from 49.8 kBtu/ft² (2022) to 40.1 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 19% decrease. Reported emissions went from 72 tCO₂e to 63 tCO₂e over the same span (down 13%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 68 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 68 means the building performs better than about 68% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 68 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 7 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In New York City, 43% 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. THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET's 40.1 kBtu/ft² across 25,811 sq ft works out to about 1 billion Btu (303 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 50.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 35,539 kWh of electricity, 9,148 therms of natural gas and 158 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET to report its energy use?
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET reports under Local Law 84 (LL84), the legal basis of New York City's Energy and Water Data Disclosure program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record nyc:6289440:2024). Under Local Law 97, buildings over 25,000 sq ft face carbon caps with fines of $268 per metric ton of CO₂e over the limit, phasing in from 2024.
More worship facility buildings in New York City
- 77 Gerry Street· 25,655 sq ft · EUI 24.8 kBtu/ft²
- Conservative Synagogue - 475 W. 250 St· 25,266 sq ft · EUI 106.3 kBtu/ft²
- 77 Wallabout St· 25,248 sq ft · EUI 42.1 kBtu/ft²
- 77 Wallabout St· 25,228 sq ft
- Conservative Synagoge· 25,226 sq ft · score 14 (D)
- Young Israel of Hillcrest· 25,200 sq ft · score 72 (B)
- Worship Facility buildings in New York City· 370 benchmarked
- All New York City benchmarked buildings· Local Law 84 (LL84)
- Most efficient large buildings in New York City
- Least efficient large buildings in New York City
- Biggest emitters in New York City
Frequently asked questions
What is THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET's energy grade?
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET scores 68 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2024 New York City disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 40.1 kBtu/ft² (50.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 25,811 sq ft, including 35,539 kWh of electricity and 9,148 therms of natural gas.
What are THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET's carbon emissions?
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET reported 63 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (2.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET?
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET is in New York City, New York 10454. Its coordinates are 40.80782, -73.91987 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Energy and Water Data Disclosure file.
How big is THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET and when was it built?
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET has 25,811 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1927 as its year built. It is classed as worship facility.
Is THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET covered by Local Law 84 (LL84)?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Energy and Water Data Disclosure disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under Local Law 84 (LL84).
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About this data
Source: Energy and Water Data Disclosure (Local Law 84 (LL84)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH- NYS - 490 EAST 138 STREET, New York City, New York — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/new-york-city/the-universal-church-nys-490-east-138-street-490e931e (data as of October 2, 2026).