Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium

How does Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium compare with other medical office buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 45 medical office buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium's ENERGY STAR score of 92 compares with an average of 60 across the 32 that report a score; it scores higher than 75% of them and lower than 19%. Its site EUI of 76.1 kBtu/ft² is about 14% below the average of 88.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 1.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 1.5 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 422,503 sq ft, it is about 190% above the average floor area of 145,612 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1985, 6 years later than the group's average year built (1979). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,266 medical office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 92.2 kBtu/ft².

How has Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 48 in 2015 to 92 in 2025 (+44 points); its best year on file was 2024, at 92. Site EUI moved from 90.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 76.1 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 16% decrease. Reported emissions went from 223 tCO₂e to 294 tCO₂e over the same span (up 32%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 92 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 92 means the building performs better than about 92% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 92 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. Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium's 76.1 kBtu/ft² across 422,503 sq ft works out to about 32.2 billion Btu (9,423 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 190.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,593,987 kWh of electricity for the year.

Which law requires Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium to report its energy use?

Nordstrom Elmer J Medical Tower Condominium 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:661:2025). 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.