Rainier Square Plaza
Supermarket/Grocery Store in Seattle, WA · 3820 RAINIER AVE S · 98118
At a glance
Rainier Square Plaza is a 103,255-square-foot supermarket/grocery store at 3820 RAINIER AVE S in Seattle, Washington, built in 1994. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 160.5 kBtu/ft² and 421 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 160.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 323.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 421 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,555,124 kWh |
| Natural gas | 71,138 therms |
| Gross floor area | 103,255 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:683:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | — | 160.5 kBtu/ft² | 421 tCO₂e | |
| 2024 | — | 161.2 kBtu/ft² | 386 tCO₂e | |
| 2023 | — | 165.6 kBtu/ft² | 412 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 151.4 kBtu/ft² | 467 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | — | 51 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 173.3 kBtu/ft² | 480 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 176.9 kBtu/ft² | 471 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 188.3 kBtu/ft² | 512 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 188.2 kBtu/ft² | 515 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 192.9 kBtu/ft² | 515 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 196.1 kBtu/ft² | 531 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.
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Location
- Address
- 3820 RAINIER AVE S
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98118
- Coordinates
- 47.56919, -122.28979
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does Rainier Square Plaza compare with other supermarket/grocery store buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 41 supermarket/grocery store buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 160.5 kBtu/ft² is about 15% below the average of 188.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 103,255 sq ft, it is about twice the average floor area of 53,722 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1994, 7 years later than the group's average year built (1987). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 1,646 supermarket/grocery store buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 71 and a site EUI of 176.1 kBtu/ft².
How has Rainier Square Plaza's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Rainier Square Plaza, covering report years 2015–2025. Site EUI moved from 196.1 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 160.5 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 18% decrease. Reported emissions went from 531 tCO₂e to 421 tCO₂e over the same span (down 21%).
What does a site EUI of 160.5 kBtu/ft² mean?
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. Rainier Square Plaza's 160.5 kBtu/ft² across 103,255 sq ft works out to about 16.6 billion Btu (4,857 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 323.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,555,124 kWh of electricity and 71,138 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Rainier Square Plaza to report its energy use?
Rainier Square Plaza 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:683:2025). 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 supermarket/grocery store buildings in Seattle
- SAFEWAY #1885· 93,997 sq ft · score 38 (D)
- Ballard Block I - 4609 14th Ave Nw· 91,327 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- Safeway Store # 1477· 89,103 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- QFC UNIVERSITY VILLAGE· 77,424 sq ft · score 92 (A)
- Safeway Store # 1550· 76,585 sq ft · score 58 (C)
- Saars Marketplace Foods· 67,450 sq ft · score 99 (A)
- Supermarket/Grocery Store buildings in Seattle· 41 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 Rainier Square Plaza's energy grade?
Rainier Square Plaza did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2025 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 160.5 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Rainier Square Plaza use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 160.5 kBtu/ft² (323.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 103,255 sq ft, including 2,555,124 kWh of electricity and 71,138 therms of natural gas.
What are Rainier Square Plaza's carbon emissions?
Rainier Square Plaza reported 421 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is Rainier Square Plaza?
Rainier Square Plaza is at 3820 RAINIER AVE S, in Seattle, Washington 98118. Its coordinates are 47.56919, -122.28979 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Rainier Square Plaza and when was it built?
Rainier Square Plaza has 103,255 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1994 as its year built. It is classed as supermarket/grocery store.
Is Rainier Square Plaza 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, “Rainier Square Plaza, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/rainier-square-plaza-5f66f932 (data as of October 2, 2026).