601 S Alaska Building

How does 601 S Alaska Building compare with other non-refrigerated warehouse buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 164 non-refrigerated warehouse buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. 601 S Alaska Building's ENERGY STAR score of 78 compares with an average of 58 across the 117 that report a score; it scores higher than 71% of them and lower than 28%. Its site EUI of 31.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 30.5 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 1.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 40% above the group average of 0.9 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 21,101 sq ft, it is about 64% below the average floor area of 58,727 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1989, 29 years later than the group's average year built (1960). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 4,723 non-refrigerated warehouse buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 66 and a site EUI of 26.0 kBtu/ft².

How has 601 S Alaska Building's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for 601 S Alaska Building, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 82 in 2018 to 78 in 2025 (-4 points); its best year on file was 2018, at 82. Site EUI moved from 26.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 31.3 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 17% increase. Reported emissions went from 19 tCO₂e to 27 tCO₂e over the same span (up 39%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 78 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 78 means the building performs better than about 78% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 78 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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 Seattle, 69% 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. 601 S Alaska Building's 31.3 kBtu/ft² across 21,101 sq ft works out to about 0.7 billion Btu (194 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 46.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 46,523 kWh of electricity and 5,020 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires 601 S Alaska Building to report its energy use?

601 S Alaska Building reports under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920), the legal basis of Seattle's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record seattle:21783:2025). Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard (adopted 2023) applies to buildings over 20,000 sq ft: benchmarking verification is due 2027–2030 and initial emissions targets 2031–2035, reaching net zero by 2041–2050, with fines for non-compliance.