SAFEWAY STORE # 488

How does SAFEWAY STORE # 488 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 STORE # 488's ENERGY STAR score of 85 compares with an average of 70 across the 35 that report a score; it scores higher than 69% of them and lower than 26%. Its site EUI of 155.3 kBtu/ft² is about 17% below the average of 188.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.

At 33,005 sq ft, it is about 39% below the average floor area of 53,722 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1975, 12 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 STORE # 488's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 9 Seattle disclosures for SAFEWAY STORE # 488, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 20 in 2015 to 85 in 2023 (+65 points). Site EUI moved from 314.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 155.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 51% decrease. Reported emissions went from 232 tCO₂e to 118 tCO₂e over the same span (down 49%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 85 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 85 means the building performs better than about 85% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 85 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. SAFEWAY STORE # 488's 155.3 kBtu/ft² across 33,005 sq ft works out to about 5.1 billion Btu (1,502 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 343.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,056,235 kWh of electricity and 18,275 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires SAFEWAY STORE # 488 to report its energy use?

SAFEWAY STORE # 488 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 2023 disclosure (source record seattle:21921:2023). 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.