At a glance
Rio San Diego Plaza is a 197,494-square-foot office building at 8954 Rio San Diego Dr in San Diego, California, built in 2001. In its 2022 San Diego benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 73 out of 100 (grade B) and a site energy-use intensity of 38.4 kBtu/ft². That score is higher than 30% of the 259 scored office buildings in San Diego.
Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12) · reporting year 2022
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 73 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 38.4 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | — |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Gross floor area | 197,494 sq ft |
| Source record | san_diego:101300:2022 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022latest | 73 | +5 | 38.4 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2021 | 68 | 42.5 kBtu/ft² | — |
Compliance context
Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12)
San Diego's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 50,000 sq ft, with civil penalties for buildings that fail to report.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 8954 Rio San Diego Dr
- City
- San Diego
- State
- California
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
This source publishes no coordinates, so nearby buildings can't be resolved yet.
See also: most efficient in San Diego · biggest emitters
How does Rio San Diego Plaza compare with other office buildings in San Diego?
The latest disclosures cover 356 office buildings in San Diego, out of 2,567 buildings citywide. Rio San Diego Plaza's ENERGY STAR score of 73 compares with an average of 75 across the 259 that report a score; it scores higher than 30% of them and lower than 69%. Its site EUI of 38.4 kBtu/ft² is about 29% below the average of 54.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 197,494 sq ft, it is about 51% above the average floor area of 130,949 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2001, 10 years later than the group's average year built (1991). 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 Rio San Diego Plaza's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 2 San Diego disclosures for Rio San Diego Plaza, covering report years 2021–2022. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 68 in 2021 to 73 in 2022 (+5 points). Site EUI moved from 42.5 kBtu/ft² (2021) to 38.4 kBtu/ft² (2022), a 10% decrease.
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 73 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 73 means the building performs better than about 73% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 73 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 2 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In San Diego, 73% 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. Rio San Diego Plaza's 38.4 kBtu/ft² across 197,494 sq ft works out to about 7.6 billion Btu (2,223 MWh-equivalent) in 2022.
Which law requires Rio San Diego Plaza to report its energy use?
Rio San Diego Plaza reports under the Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12), the legal basis of San Diego's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2022 disclosure (source record san_diego:101300:2022). San Diego's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 50,000 sq ft, with civil penalties for buildings that fail to report.
More office buildings in San Diego
- RB03 - Rancho Bernardo 3 (Previously SND11)· 196,734 sq ft
- 12830 El Camino Real - One Paseo (Building II)· 195,444 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- Torrey Pines Business Park· 190,356 sq ft · EUI 13.1 kBtu/ft²
- SHARP | 8695 Spectrum Center Ct· 190,303 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- Rio Vista Tower· 190,261 sq ft · score 85 (A)
- Port of San Diego Admin Campus· 190,000 sq ft · EUI 43.5 kBtu/ft²
- Office buildings in San Diego· 356 benchmarked
- All San Diego benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12)
- Most efficient large buildings in San Diego
- Least efficient large buildings in San Diego
- Biggest emitters in San Diego
Frequently asked questions
What is Rio San Diego Plaza's energy grade?
Rio San Diego Plaza scores 73 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2022 San Diego disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Rio San Diego Plaza use?
Its 2022 site energy-use intensity was 38.4 kBtu/ft² across 197,494 sq ft.
What are Rio San Diego Plaza's carbon emissions?
No greenhouse-gas emissions figure was reported for 2022.
Where is Rio San Diego Plaza?
Rio San Diego Plaza is at 8954 Rio San Diego Dr, in San Diego, California.
How big is Rio San Diego Plaza and when was it built?
Rio San Diego Plaza has 197,494 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2022 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2001 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Rio San Diego Plaza covered by the Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12)?
Yes — it appears in the 2022 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12)), as published July 9, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Rio San Diego Plaza, San Diego, California — 2022 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/san-diego/rio-san-diego-plaza-d98d6d9b (data as of July 9, 2026).