Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw

How does Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw 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. Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw's ENERGY STAR score of 89 compares with an average of 70 across the 35 that report a score; it scores higher than 77% of them and lower than 17%. Its site EUI of 100.3 kBtu/ft² is about half of 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 1.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 66% below the group average of 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 91,327 sq ft, it is about 70% above the average floor area of 53,722 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2008, 21 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 Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 13 in 2018 to 89 in 2025 (+76 points); its best year on file was 2022, at 95. Site EUI moved from 129.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 100.3 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 22% decrease. Reported emissions went from 393 tCO₂e to 91 tCO₂e over the same span (down 77%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 89 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 89 means the building performs better than about 89% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 89 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. Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw's 100.3 kBtu/ft² across 91,327 sq ft works out to about 9.2 billion Btu (2,685 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 248.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,536,674 kWh of electricity and 11,774 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw to report its energy use?

Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw 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:532:2025). 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.