Portside Distribution Center

How does Portside Distribution Center compare with other distribution center buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 38 distribution center buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Portside Distribution Center's ENERGY STAR score of 96 compares with an average of 62 across the 33 that report a score; it scores higher than 97% of them. Its site EUI of 6.6 kBtu/ft² is about 76% 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 0.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 88% below the group average of 0.6 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 411,584 sq ft, it is about 558% above the average floor area of 62,568 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1986, 19 years later 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 Portside Distribution Center's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Portside Distribution Center, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 48 in 2015 to 96 in 2025 (+48 points). Site EUI moved from 33.8 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 6.6 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 80% decrease. Reported emissions went from 383 tCO₂e to 30 tCO₂e over the same span (down 92%).

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. Portside Distribution Center's 6.6 kBtu/ft² across 411,584 sq ft works out to about 2.7 billion Btu (796 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 17.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 710,439 kWh of electricity and 3,036 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Portside Distribution Center to report its energy use?

Portside Distribution Center 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:805:2025). 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.