At a glance
United Way is a 52,298-square-foot office building at 720 2ND AVE in Seattle, Washington, built in 1921. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 100 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 4.3 kBtu/ft² and 1 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 96% of the 378 scored office buildings in Seattle.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 100 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 4.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 12.0 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 0.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 65,606 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 52,298 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:769:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 100 | ±0 | 4.3 kBtu/ft² | 1 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 100 | ±0 | 7.6 kBtu/ft² | 2 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 100 | 7.5 kBtu/ft² | 2 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | 88 | +13 | 29.2 kBtu/ft² | 9 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 75 | +6 | 39.2 kBtu/ft² | 12 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 69 | +4 | 43.2 kBtu/ft² | 13 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 65 | -21 | 41.8 kBtu/ft² | 13 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 86 | -2 | 37.6 kBtu/ft² | 11 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 88 | 39.6 kBtu/ft² | 12 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 720 2ND AVE
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98104
- Coordinates
- 47.60366, -122.33328
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Columbia Centerscore 90
Office · 1,952,220 sq ft
- Two Union Squarescore 96
Office · 1,605,578 sq ft
- Russell Investments Centerscore 92
Office · 1,592,914 sq ft
- Us Bank Centerscore 87
Office · 1,536,606 sq ft
Office · 1,527,817 sq ft
Office · 1,413,575 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does United Way compare with other office buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 497 office buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. United Way's ENERGY STAR score of 100 compares with an average of 76 across the 378 that report a score; it scores higher than 96% of them. Its site EUI of 4.3 kBtu/ft² is about 90% below the average of 44.8 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 97% below the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 52,298 sq ft, it is about 73% below the average floor area of 196,452 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1921, 44 years earlier than the group's average year built (1965). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 15,264 office buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft².
How has United Way's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for United Way, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 88 in 2015 to 100 in 2025 (+12 points); its best year on file was 2023, at 100. Site EUI moved from 39.6 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 4.3 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 89% decrease. Reported emissions went from 12 tCO₂e to 1 tCO₂e over the same span (down 89%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 100 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: 100 is the top of the scale. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 100 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. United Way's 4.3 kBtu/ft² across 52,298 sq ft works out to about 0.2 billion Btu (66 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 12.0 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 65,606 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires United Way to report its energy use?
United Way 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:769:2025). 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 office buildings in Seattle
- Bullitt Center· 52,000 sq ft · score 100 (A)
- MOPOP OFFICE (LITTLE WING)· 51,552 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- MARKET SQUARE· 51,218 sq ft · score 65 (C)
- Lake City Center· 50,759 sq ft · score 28 (D)
- R.d. Merrill Building· 50,499 sq ft · score 23 (D)
- Areis Building· 50,333 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- Office buildings in Seattle· 497 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 United Way's energy grade?
United Way scores 100 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2025 Seattle disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does United Way use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 4.3 kBtu/ft² (12.0 kBtu/ft² source) across 52,298 sq ft, including 65,606 kWh of electricity.
What are United Way's carbon emissions?
United Way reported 1 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (0.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is United Way?
United Way is at 720 2ND AVE, in Seattle, Washington 98104. Its coordinates are 47.60366, -122.33328 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is United Way and when was it built?
United Way has 52,298 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1921 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is United Way 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).
Working with Seattle building benchmarking records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “United Way, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/united-way-a59e3ed1 (data as of October 2, 2026).