Amazon Distribution Center

How does Amazon Distribution Center compare with other supermarket/grocery store buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 41 supermarket/grocery store buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Amazon Distribution Center's ENERGY STAR score of 100 compares with an average of 70 across the 35 that report a score; it scores higher than 94% of them. Its site EUI of 59.1 kBtu/ft² is about 69% below the average of 188.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 85% below the group average of 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 28,142 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 53,722 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2002, 15 years later than the group's average year built (1987). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,646 supermarket/grocery store buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 71 and a site EUI of 176.1 kBtu/ft².

How has Amazon Distribution Center's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Amazon Distribution Center, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 30 in 2024 to 100 in 2025 (+70 points). Site EUI moved from 39.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 59.1 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 51% increase. Reported emissions went from 14 tCO₂e to 24 tCO₂e over the same span (up 66%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 100 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: 100 is the top of the scale. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 100 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 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. Amazon Distribution Center's 59.1 kBtu/ft² across 28,142 sq ft works out to about 1.7 billion Btu (487 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 155.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 612,658 kWh of electricity and 2,224 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Amazon Distribution Center to report its energy use?

Amazon Distribution Center 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:19776:2025). 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.