Safeway #219

How does Safeway #219 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. Safeway #219's ENERGY STAR score of 62 compares with an average of 70 across the 35 that report a score; it scores higher than 26% of them and lower than 71%. Its site EUI of 266.9 kBtu/ft² is about 42% above the average of 188.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 48% above the group average of 4.2 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 26,092 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 53,722 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1953, 34 years earlier 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 Safeway #219's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Safeway #219, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 48 in 2015 to 62 in 2025 (+14 points); its best year on file was 2024, at 63. Site EUI moved from 272.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 266.9 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 2% decrease. Reported emissions went from 140 tCO₂e to 162 tCO₂e over the same span (up 16%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 62 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 62 means the building performs better than about 62% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 62 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 13 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. Safeway #219's 266.9 kBtu/ft² across 26,092 sq ft works out to about 7 billion Btu (2,041 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 573.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,274,058 kWh of electricity and 25,769 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Safeway #219 to report its energy use?

Safeway #219 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:22142:2025). 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.