Avalon Belltown Towers

How does Avalon Belltown Towers compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 1,971 multifamily housing buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Avalon Belltown Towers's ENERGY STAR score of 72 compares with an average of 83 across the 1,652 that report a score; it scores higher than 20% of them and lower than 79%. Its site EUI of 39.2 kBtu/ft² is about 12% above the average of 34.9 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 19% above the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 397,034 sq ft, it is about 359% above the average floor area of 86,468 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2017, 34 years later than the group's average year built (1983). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².

How has Avalon Belltown Towers's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 6 Seattle disclosures for Avalon Belltown Towers, covering report years 2020–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 74 in 2020 to 72 in 2025 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2022, at 88. Site EUI moved from 37.4 kBtu/ft² (2020) to 39.2 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 5% increase. Reported emissions went from 225 tCO₂e to 246 tCO₂e over the same span (up 9%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 72 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 72 means the building performs better than about 72% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 72 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 3 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. Avalon Belltown Towers's 39.2 kBtu/ft² across 397,034 sq ft works out to about 15.6 billion Btu (4,561 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 87.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,287,328 kWh of electricity and 38,559 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Avalon Belltown Towers to report its energy use?

Avalon Belltown Towers 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:50654:2025). 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.