The Capital Bldg

How does The Capital Bldg compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 1,971 multifamily housing buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. The Capital Bldg's ENERGY STAR score of 16 compares with an average of 83 across the 1,652 that report a score; it scores higher than 1% of them and lower than 99%. Its site EUI of 102.2 kBtu/ft² is about 193% above the average of 34.9 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 491% above the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 38,160 sq ft, it is about 56% below the average floor area of 86,468 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1924, 59 years earlier than the group's average year built (1983). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².

How has The Capital Bldg's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for The Capital Bldg, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 72 in 2020 to 16 in 2025 (-56 points); its best year on file was 2020, at 72. Site EUI moved from 74.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 102.2 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 38% increase. Reported emissions went from 115 tCO₂e to 158 tCO₂e over the same span (up 37%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 16 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 16 means the building performs better than about 16% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 16 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 59 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. The Capital Bldg's 102.2 kBtu/ft² across 38,160 sq ft works out to about 3.9 billion Btu (1,143 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 154.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 298,399 kWh of electricity and 28,800 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires The Capital Bldg to report its energy use?

The Capital Bldg 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:25798:2025). 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.