Mechanics' Institute
Commercial in San Francisco, CA · 57 POST ST · 94104
At a glance
Mechanics' Institute is a 70,769-square-foot commercial building at 57 POST ST in San Francisco, California, built in 1909. In its 2025 San Francisco benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 97 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 23.5 kBtu/ft² and 92 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 79% of the 790 scored commercial buildings in San Francisco.
SF Environment Code Chapter 20 · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 97 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 23.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 46.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 92 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 1.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 258,813 kWh |
| Natural gas | 7,775 therms |
| Gross floor area | 70,769 sq ft |
| Source record | sf:0311/013:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 97 | -2 | 23.5 kBtu/ft² | 92 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 99 | +1 | 21.0 kBtu/ft² | 89 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 98 | +3 | 28.0 kBtu/ft² | 118 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 95 | 26.2 kBtu/ft² | 109 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 24.8 kBtu/ft² | 98 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 15.1 kBtu/ft² | 64 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | 95 | +3 | 30.5 kBtu/ft² | 131 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 92 | -7 | 36.4 kBtu/ft² | 156 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 99 | 33.6 kBtu/ft² | 146 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 30.8 kBtu/ft² | 153 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 34.0 kBtu/ft² | 161 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 37.1 kBtu/ft² | 171 tCO₂e | |
| 2013 | — | 43.2 kBtu/ft² | 201 tCO₂e | |
| 2012 | — | 47.9 kBtu/ft² | 232 tCO₂e | |
| 2011 | — | 49.0 kBtu/ft² | 238 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
SF Environment Code Chapter 20
San Francisco's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 10,000 sq ft, with administrative 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
- 57 POST ST
- City
- San Francisco
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 94104
- Coordinates
- 37.78875, -122.40303
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in San Francisco · biggest emitters
How does Mechanics' Institute compare with other commercial buildings in San Francisco?
The latest disclosures cover 1,683 commercial buildings in San Francisco, out of 2,509 buildings citywide. Mechanics' Institute's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 78 across the 790 that report a score; it scores higher than 79% of them and lower than 18%. Its site EUI of 23.5 kBtu/ft² is about half of the average of 49.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 1.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about half of the group average of 2.7 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 70,769 sq ft, it is about 34% below the average floor area of 107,408 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1909, 32 years earlier than the group's average year built (1941). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,307 commercial buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 76 and a site EUI of 51.3 kBtu/ft².
How has Mechanics' Institute's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 15 San Francisco disclosures for Mechanics' Institute, covering report years 2011–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 99 in 2017 to 97 in 2025 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 99. Site EUI moved from 49.0 kBtu/ft² (2011) to 23.5 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 52% decrease. Reported emissions went from 238 tCO₂e to 92 tCO₂e over the same span (down 61%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 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 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In San Francisco, 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. Mechanics' Institute's 23.5 kBtu/ft² across 70,769 sq ft works out to about 1.7 billion Btu (487 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 46.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 258,813 kWh of electricity and 7,775 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Mechanics' Institute to report its energy use?
Mechanics' Institute reports under SF Environment Code Chapter 20, the legal basis of San Francisco's Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record sf:0311/013:2025). San Francisco's ordinance requires annual benchmarking for commercial buildings over 10,000 sq ft, with administrative penalties for buildings that fail to report.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Mechanics' Institute's energy grade?
Mechanics' Institute scores 97 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2025 San Francisco disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Mechanics' Institute use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 23.5 kBtu/ft² (46.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 70,769 sq ft, including 258,813 kWh of electricity and 7,775 therms of natural gas.
What are Mechanics' Institute's carbon emissions?
Mechanics' Institute reported 92 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (1.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is Mechanics' Institute?
Mechanics' Institute is at 57 POST ST, in San Francisco, California 94104. Its coordinates are 37.78875, -122.40303 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance file.
How big is Mechanics' Institute and when was it built?
Mechanics' Institute has 70,769 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1909 as its year built. It is classed as commercial.
Is Mechanics' Institute covered by SF Environment Code Chapter 20?
Yes — it appears in the 2025 Existing Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under SF Environment Code Chapter 20.
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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, “Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco, California — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/san-francisco/mechanics-institute-1de424c9 (data as of October 2, 2026).