Element 42

How does Element 42 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. Element 42's ENERGY STAR score of 96 compares with an average of 83 across the 1,652 that report a score; it scores higher than 65% of them and lower than 30%. Its site EUI of 39.4 kBtu/ft² is about 13% 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 20% above the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 63,597 sq ft, it is about 26% below the average floor area of 86,468 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2011, 28 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 Element 42's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Element 42, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 90 in 2015 to 96 in 2025 (+6 points); its best year on file was 2020, at 100. Site EUI moved from 32.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 39.4 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 21% increase. Reported emissions went from 54 tCO₂e to 46 tCO₂e over the same span (down 16%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 96 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 96 means the building performs better than about 96% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 96 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. Element 42's 39.4 kBtu/ft² across 63,597 sq ft works out to about 2.5 billion Btu (734 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 87.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 421,927 kWh of electricity and 7,112 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Element 42 to report its energy use?

Element 42 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:31187:2025). 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.