Owl Transfer

How does Owl Transfer compare with other distribution center buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 38 distribution center buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Owl Transfer's ENERGY STAR score of 84 compares with an average of 62 across the 33 that report a score; it scores higher than 76% of them and lower than 21%. Its site EUI of 9.9 kBtu/ft² is about 64% below the average of 27.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 72% below the group average of 0.6 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 73,335 sq ft, it is about 17% above the average floor area of 62,568 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1961, 6 years earlier than the group's average year built (1968). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 4,082 distribution center buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 65 and a site EUI of 24.2 kBtu/ft².

How has Owl Transfer's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Owl Transfer, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 21 in 2015 to 84 in 2025 (+63 points); its best year on file was 2020, at 89. Site EUI moved from 46.5 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 9.9 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 79% decrease. Reported emissions went from 76 tCO₂e to 13 tCO₂e over the same span (down 83%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 84 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 84 means the building performs better than about 84% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 84 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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. Owl Transfer's 9.9 kBtu/ft² across 73,335 sq ft works out to about 0.7 billion Btu (213 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 23.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 158,298 kWh of electricity and 1,854 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Owl Transfer to report its energy use?

Owl Transfer 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:725:2025). 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.