Tri-North Department Stores

How does Tri-North Department Stores compare with other non-refrigerated warehouse buildings in Seattle?

The latest disclosures cover 164 non-refrigerated warehouse buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Tri-North Department Stores's ENERGY STAR score of 84 compares with an average of 58 across the 117 that report a score; it scores higher than 83% of them and lower than 15%. Its site EUI of 23.5 kBtu/ft² is about 23% below the average of 30.5 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 13% below the group average of 0.9 kgCO₂e/ft².

At 48,890 sq ft, it is about 17% below the average floor area of 58,727 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1941, 19 years earlier than the group's average year built (1960). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 4,723 non-refrigerated warehouse buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 66 and a site EUI of 26.0 kBtu/ft².

How has Tri-North Department Stores's energy performance changed over time?

BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Tri-North Department Stores, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 45 in 2015 to 84 in 2025 (+39 points); its best year on file was 2024, at 85. Site EUI moved from 43.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 23.5 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 45% decrease. Reported emissions went from 59 tCO₂e to 38 tCO₂e over the same span (down 35%).

What does an ENERGY STAR score of 84 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 84 means the building performs better than about 84% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 84 falls in band B — above median (70–84). 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. Tri-North Department Stores's 23.5 kBtu/ft² across 48,890 sq ft works out to about 1.1 billion Btu (337 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 41.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 134,669 kWh of electricity and 6,873 therms of natural gas for the year.

Which law requires Tri-North Department Stores to report its energy use?

Tri-North Department Stores 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:24629:2025). 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.