Essex

How does Essex 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. Essex's ENERGY STAR score of 87 compares with an average of 83 across the 1,652 that report a score; it scores higher than 41% of them and lower than 57%. Its site EUI of 34.5 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 34.9 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 57% below the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 84,389 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 86,468 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2014, 31 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 Essex's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Essex, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 89 in 2015 to 87 in 2025 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 95. Site EUI moved from 32.1 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 34.5 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 7% increase. Reported emissions went from 69 tCO₂e to 17 tCO₂e over the same span (down 76%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 87 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 87 means the building performs better than about 87% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 87 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. Essex's 34.5 kBtu/ft² across 84,389 sq ft works out to about 2.9 billion Btu (853 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 92.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 518,363 kWh of electricity and 1,241 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Essex to report its energy use?

Essex 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:24191:2025). 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.