San Francisco building energy benchmarking
Every building disclosed under SF Environment Code Chapter 20 (Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance), graded and cross-linked. San Francisco's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 10,000 sq ft, with administrative penalties for buildings that fail to report.
At a glance
San Francisco publishes energy benchmarking results for 2,509 buildings under SF Environment Code Chapter 20 (San Francisco's Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance). 1,274 of them report an ENERGY STAR score, averaging 81 (median 89), and the average site energy-use intensity is 44.9 kBtu/ft². That is the 10th-largest disclosure of the 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, with report years 2011–2025 on file.
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The map
San Francisco, colored by grade
Zoom in to reveal smaller buildings; markers color by ENERGY STAR grade (A green → D signal orange).
The report card
Grade distribution
ENERGY STAR scores banded A (85–100) / B (70–84) / C (55–69) / D (1–54); buildings without a score excluded.
Large buildings (≥ 50,000 sq ft)
Most efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westin St. Francis Hotel | A100 | 24.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,315,996 sq ft |
| NEMA SF | A100 | 24.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,044,955 sq ft |
| 33 8TH ST | A100 | 20.0 kBtu/ft² | 918,968 sq ft |
| 415 NATOMA ST | A100 | 7.6 kBtu/ft² | 700,000 sq ft |
| 706 MISSION ST | A100 | 10.7 kBtu/ft² | 694,121 sq ft |
| The Palace Hotel | A100 | 41.0 kBtu/ft² | 592,000 sq ft |
| The Brady (br976) | A100 | 20.5 kBtu/ft² | 520,191 sq ft |
| 555 04TH ST | A100 | 14.2 kBtu/ft² | 493,210 sq ft |
| 1535 EDDY ST | A100 | 23.0 kBtu/ft² | 486,750 sq ft |
| 1510 Eddy St | A100 | 19.4 kBtu/ft² | 482,898 sq ft |
Penalty exposure
Least efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201 Toland St | D1 | 307.4 kBtu/ft² | 120,000 sq ft |
| CA090_Ocean Ave Building 351 | D1 | 95.6 kBtu/ft² | 105,728 sq ft |
| 2045 EVANS AVE | D1 | 94.1 kBtu/ft² | 76,014 sq ft |
| 1250 JONES ST | D1 | 103.5 kBtu/ft² | 51,311 sq ft |
| 280 Beale Street | D1 | 103.5 kBtu/ft² | 50,534 sq ft |
| Neiman Marcus | D2 | 51.3 kBtu/ft² | 253,850 sq ft |
| Notre Dame Apartments | D2 | 113.3 kBtu/ft² | 130,000 sq ft |
| Pier 50 - Shed A, B, and D | D2 | 30.1 kBtu/ft² | 108,431 sq ft |
| 601 Duboce Ave | D3 | 375.0 kBtu/ft² | 282,965 sq ft |
| 0161-San Francisco | D3 | 73.3 kBtu/ft² | 58,200 sq ft |
Taxonomy
Property-type mix
| Property type | Buildings | Avg score | Avg site EUI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial | 1,683 | B78 | 49.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Mixed Residential | 610 | A85 | 36.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Multifamily | 192 | A86 | 34.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Commercial - Port Facility | 24 | C66 | 27.1 kBtu/ft² |
Linked types have dedicated pages (25+ buildings).
The disclosure record
Reporting trend
| Year | Buildings reporting | Avg score | Avg site EUI | Total emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,527 | 77 | 68.1 kBtu/ft² | 499,558 tCO₂e |
| 2012 | 1,622 | 74 | 69.9 kBtu/ft² | 537,208 tCO₂e |
| 2013 | 1,622 | 71 | 65.9 kBtu/ft² | 531,413 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 1,622 | 70 | 63.5 kBtu/ft² | 557,207 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 1,622 | 72 | 64.5 kBtu/ft² | 571,116 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 1,622 | 72 | 64.4 kBtu/ft² | 603,017 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 1,622 | 73 | 62.8 kBtu/ft² | 577,183 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 2,372 | 71 | 59.8 kBtu/ft² | 610,956 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 2,362 | 74 | 55.7 kBtu/ft² | 580,838 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 2,364 | 67 | 45.4 kBtu/ft² | 520,169 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 2,395 | 77 | 46.9 kBtu/ft² | 545,074 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 2,441 | 80 | 47.5 kBtu/ft² | 662,703 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 2,476 | 79 | 47.6 kBtu/ft² | 691,849 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 2,497 | 81 | 45.6 kBtu/ft² | 661,424 tCO₂e |
| 2025 | 2,509 | 81 | 44.9 kBtu/ft² | 558,994 tCO₂e |
Honest data
Source caveats
- SF classifies buildings into four broad categories rather than EPA property types.
- Gas figures are kBtu-converted; no water-use field.
How energy-efficient are San Francisco's buildings compared with other cities?
San Francisco's average ENERGY STAR score of 81 ranks 2nd of 22 covered jurisdictions with at least 25 scored buildings; the average across all 84,490 scored buildings BuildingCensus covers is 70. Its average site EUI of 44.9 kBtu/ft² is about 31% below the all-jurisdiction average of 64.9 kBtu/ft² (2nd lowest of 24 jurisdictions). 73% of San Francisco's scored buildings reach 75 or higher, the ENERGY STAR certification threshold, against 54% across all covered jurisdictions. By grade band: 59% A (85–100), 19% B (70–84), 9% C (55–69) and 13% D (1–54).
Which kinds of buildings report in San Francisco?
The disclosure spans 4 property types. The largest groups are commercial (1,683, 67%), mixed residential (610, 24%) and multifamily (192, 8%). Among types with at least 25 buildings, multifamily buildings post the highest average ENERGY STAR score (86) and commercial buildings the lowest (78). Commercial buildings have the highest average site EUI, 49.2 kBtu/ft². The average disclosed building has 127,868 sq ft of floor area and was built around 1949.
How has San Francisco's benchmarking record changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 30,675 San Francisco disclosure records across 15 report years (2011–2025); the number of buildings reporting went from 1,527 in 2011 to 2,509 in 2025. The average ENERGY STAR score moved from 77 (2011) to 81 (2025). Average site EUI went from 68.1 kBtu/ft² to 44.9 kBtu/ft² over the same years.
Which San Francisco buildings have to report their energy use?
Reporting is required by SF Environment Code Chapter 20 and published through San Francisco's Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance. San Francisco's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 10,000 sq ft, with administrative penalties for buildings that fail to report. Together the disclosed buildings cover 320.8 million square feet and reported 558,994 metric tons of CO₂e in their latest years.
Explore San Francisco's benchmarking data
- Most efficient large buildings in San Francisco· top 100
- Least efficient large buildings in San Francisco· bottom 100
- Biggest emitters in San Francisco· top 100
- Commercial buildings in San Francisco· 1,683 buildings
- Mixed Residential buildings in San Francisco· 610 buildings
- Multifamily buildings in San Francisco· 192 buildings
- Los Angeles building benchmarking· LA Municipal Code Div. 97, §91.9701 (EBEWE)
- San José building benchmarking· San José Municipal Code Ch. 17.85 (Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance)
- San Diego building benchmarking· Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SDMC Ch. 14 Art. 12)
- Berkeley building benchmarking· BESO (BMC Chapter 19.81)
- California building benchmarking· AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)
- Every covered jurisdiction· 24 programs
Frequently asked questions
How many buildings report energy use in San Francisco?
2,509 San Francisco buildings appear in the latest disclosure published under SF Environment Code Chapter 20, of which 1,274 report an ENERGY STAR score (average 81).
What law requires San Francisco buildings to disclose energy use?
SF Environment Code Chapter 20 — San Francisco's Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance. San Francisco's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 10,000 sq ft, with administrative penalties for buildings that fail to report.
What is the average ENERGY STAR score in San Francisco?
81 across 1,274 scored buildings, with a median of 89. 73% score 75 or higher.
Where is the list of San Francisco buildings covered by SF Environment Code Chapter 20?
BuildingCensus has a profile page for each of the 2,509 buildings in San Francisco's published benchmarking results; this page links the highest and lowest scorers, the property-type pages and the rankings. The official program page is https://www.sfenvironment.org/existing-buildings-energy-performance-ordinance. Published results can differ from a city's covered-buildings list, which also includes buildings that did not report.
Which San Francisco building emits the most carbon?
Digital Realty Trust reported 20,380 tCO₂e in its latest disclosure year — the highest in San Francisco's data. See the full biggest-emitters ranking.
About this data
Source: Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance (SF Environment Code Chapter 20), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “San Francisco building energy benchmarking”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/san-francisco (data as of October 2, 2026).