Ralston House
Office in Philadelphia, PA · 3615 Chestnut Street · 19104
At a glance
Ralston House is a 71,686-square-foot office building at 3615 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1887. In its 2020 Philadelphia benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 31.8 kBtu/ft² and 170 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program · reporting year 2020
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 31.8 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 61.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 170 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 336,228 kWh |
| Natural gas | 11,312 therms |
| Water use | 407 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 71,686 sq ft |
| Source record | philadelphia:2528934:2020 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020latest | — | 31.8 kBtu/ft² | 170 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 39.0 kBtu/ft² | 217 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program
Philadelphia requires commercial and multifamily buildings of 50,000+ sq ft to benchmark annually; its Building Energy Performance Program additionally requires non-residential buildings of 50,000+ sq ft to complete a tune-up or certify as high-performance every five years, with fines starting at $2,000 for non-compliance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 3615 Chestnut Street
- City
- Philadelphia
- State
- Pennsylvania
- ZIP
- 19104
- Coordinates
- 39.95521, -75.19552
Within ~1 km
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How does Ralston House compare with other office buildings in Philadelphia?
The latest disclosures cover 212 office buildings in Philadelphia, out of 2,379 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 31.8 kBtu/ft² is about 59% below the average of 78.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 71,686 sq ft, it is about 75% below the average floor area of 292,223 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1887, 70 years earlier than the group's average year built (1957). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has Ralston House's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 2 Philadelphia disclosures for Ralston House, covering report years 2019–2020. Site EUI moved from 39.0 kBtu/ft² (2019) to 31.8 kBtu/ft² (2020), a 18% decrease. Reported emissions went from 217 tCO₂e to 170 tCO₂e over the same span (down 22%).
What does a site EUI of 31.8 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. Ralston House's 31.8 kBtu/ft² across 71,686 sq ft works out to about 2.3 billion Btu (668 MWh-equivalent) in 2020. Its source EUI of 61.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 336,228 kWh of electricity, 11,312 therms of natural gas and 407 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Ralston House to report its energy use?
Ralston House reports under Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program, the legal basis of Philadelphia's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2020 disclosure (source record philadelphia:2528934:2020). Philadelphia requires commercial and multifamily buildings of 50,000+ sq ft to benchmark annually; its Building Energy Performance Program additionally requires non-residential buildings of 50,000+ sq ft to complete a tune-up or certify as high-performance every five years, with fines starting at $2,000 for non-compliance.
More office buildings in Philadelphia
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- Smylie Times Building - 2607 Rhawn St· 54,666 sq ft · score 1 (D)
- LT02182 - 4020 S. 26th Street· 53,362 sq ft · score 38 (D)
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- Office buildings in Philadelphia· 212 benchmarked
- All Philadelphia benchmarked buildings· Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program
- Most efficient large buildings in Philadelphia
- Least efficient large buildings in Philadelphia
- Biggest emitters in Philadelphia
Frequently asked questions
What is Ralston House's energy grade?
Ralston House did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2020 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 31.8 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Ralston House use?
Its 2020 site energy-use intensity was 31.8 kBtu/ft² (61.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 71,686 sq ft, including 336,228 kWh of electricity and 11,312 therms of natural gas.
What are Ralston House's carbon emissions?
Ralston House reported 170 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2020.
Where is Ralston House?
Ralston House is at 3615 Chestnut Street, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. Its coordinates are 39.95521, -75.19552 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Ralston House and when was it built?
Ralston House has 71,686 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2020 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1887 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Ralston House covered by Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program?
Yes — it appears in the 2020 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program.
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Phila. Code §9-3402 / Building Energy Performance Program), as published July 9, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Ralston House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — 2020 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/philadelphia/ralston-house-0fd0879a (data as of July 9, 2026).