At a glance
R.d. Merrill Building is a 50,499-square-foot office building at 1938 FAIRVIEW AVE E in Seattle, Washington, built in 2000. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 23 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 74.1 kBtu/ft² and 16 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 4% of the 378 scored office buildings in Seattle.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 23 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 74.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 207.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 16 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 0.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 802,965 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1 therms |
| Gross floor area | 50,499 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:21515:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 23 | +8 | 74.1 kBtu/ft² | 16 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 15 | ±0 | 84.3 kBtu/ft² | 18 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 15 | -6 | 84.6 kBtu/ft² | 18 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 21 | -14 | 76.6 kBtu/ft² | 16 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 35 | +6 | 63.9 kBtu/ft² | 14 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 29 | +18 | 68.1 kBtu/ft² | 15 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 11 | +5 | 90.2 kBtu/ft² | 19 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 6 | ±0 | 103.5 kBtu/ft² | 22 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 6 | -7 | 93.8 kBtu/ft² | 20 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 13 | -4 | 86.7 kBtu/ft² | 19 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 17 | 82.0 kBtu/ft² | 18 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
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.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 1938 FAIRVIEW AVE E
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98102
- Coordinates
- 47.63670, -122.32850
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 1150 Eastlakescore —
Mixed Use Property · 444,757 sq ft
- Equinoxscore 98
Multifamily Housing · 322,771 sq ft
- 188 East Blainescore —
Laboratory · 310,584 sq ft
- 1100 Eastlake - (2013)score —
Mixed Use Property · 287,224 sq ft
- 1616 Eastlake Buildingscore —
Laboratory · 281,306 sq ft
- Liza Eastlakescore 99
Multifamily Housing · 207,034 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does R.d. Merrill Building compare with other office buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 497 office buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. R.d. Merrill Building's ENERGY STAR score of 23 compares with an average of 76 across the 378 that report a score; it scores higher than 4% of them and lower than 95%. Its site EUI of 74.1 kBtu/ft² is about 65% above the average of 44.8 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 39% below the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 50,499 sq ft, it is about 74% below the average floor area of 196,452 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2000, 35 years later than the group's average year built (1965). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has R.d. Merrill Building's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for R.d. Merrill Building, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 17 in 2015 to 23 in 2025 (+6 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 35. Site EUI moved from 82.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 74.1 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 10% decrease. Reported emissions went from 18 tCO₂e to 16 tCO₂e over the same span (down 10%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 23 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 23 means the building performs better than about 23% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 23 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 52 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. R.d. Merrill Building's 74.1 kBtu/ft² across 50,499 sq ft works out to about 3.7 billion Btu (1,097 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 207.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 802,965 kWh of electricity and 1 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires R.d. Merrill Building to report its energy use?
R.d. Merrill Building 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:21515:2025). 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.
More office buildings in Seattle
- Areis Building· 50,333 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- Collins Building· 50,176 sq ft · EUI 53.7 kBtu/ft²
- Iridio - (Old Western Cartage)· 50,008 sq ft · EUI 20.1 kBtu/ft²
- Northlake Building· 49,782 sq ft · score 44 (D)
- 1943 First Ave Building· 49,052 sq ft · score 98 (A)
- Ship Canal Office Center· 48,924 sq ft · score 39 (D)
- Office buildings in Seattle· 497 benchmarked
- All Seattle benchmarked buildings· Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
- Most efficient large buildings in Seattle
- Least efficient large buildings in Seattle
- Biggest emitters in Seattle
Frequently asked questions
What is R.d. Merrill Building's energy grade?
R.d. Merrill Building scores 23 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2025 Seattle disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does R.d. Merrill Building use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 74.1 kBtu/ft² (207.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 50,499 sq ft, including 802,965 kWh of electricity and 1 therms of natural gas.
What are R.d. Merrill Building's carbon emissions?
R.d. Merrill Building reported 16 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (0.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is R.d. Merrill Building?
R.d. Merrill Building is at 1938 FAIRVIEW AVE E, in Seattle, Washington 98102. Its coordinates are 47.63670, -122.32850 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is R.d. Merrill Building and when was it built?
R.d. Merrill Building has 50,499 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2000 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is R.d. Merrill Building covered by the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)?
Yes — it appears in the 2025 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “R.d. Merrill Building, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/r-d-merrill-building-fd720bcc (data as of October 2, 2026).