At a glance
Western Building is a 86,204-square-foot office building at 615 WESTERN AVE in Seattle, Washington, built in 1910. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 97 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 29.0 kBtu/ft² and 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 90% 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 | 97 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 29.0 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 56.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 65 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 0.8 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 359,596 kWh |
| Natural gas | 11,266 therms |
| Gross floor area | 86,204 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:716:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 97 | ±0 | 29.0 kBtu/ft² | 65 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 97 | +1 | 28.3 kBtu/ft² | 59 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 96 | +3 | 28.9 kBtu/ft² | 60 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 93 | +1 | 41.1 kBtu/ft² | 107 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 92 | ±0 | 40.9 kBtu/ft² | 99 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 92 | +3 | 39.9 kBtu/ft² | 95 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 89 | +1 | 40.8 kBtu/ft² | 81 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 88 | +16 | 40.7 kBtu/ft² | 76 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 72 | -17 | 47.9 kBtu/ft² | 89 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 89 | 43.5 kBtu/ft² | 66 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 39.0 kBtu/ft² | 68 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.
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Location
- Address
- 615 WESTERN AVE
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98104
- Coordinates
- 47.60222, -122.33599
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Columbia Centerscore 90
Office · 1,952,220 sq ft
- Centurylink Field-Stadiumscore —
Stadium (Open) · 1,913,640 sq ft
- Russell Investments Centerscore 92
Office · 1,592,914 sq ft
Office · 1,527,817 sq ft
Office · 1,413,575 sq ft
- Seattle Municipal Towerscore 86
Office · 1,354,987 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does Western Building compare with other office buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 497 office buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Western Building's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 76 across the 378 that report a score; it scores higher than 90% of them and lower than 7%. Its site EUI of 29.0 kBtu/ft² is about 35% 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 0.8 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 14% above the group average of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 86,204 sq ft, it is about 56% below the average floor area of 196,452 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1910, 55 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 Western Building's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Western Building, covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 89 in 2016 to 97 in 2025 (+8 points); its best year on file was 2024, at 97. Site EUI moved from 39.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 29.0 kBtu/ft² (2025), a 26% decrease. Reported emissions went from 68 tCO₂e to 65 tCO₂e over the same span (down 5%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 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 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 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. Western Building's 29.0 kBtu/ft² across 86,204 sq ft works out to about 2.5 billion Btu (733 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 56.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 359,596 kWh of electricity and 11,266 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Western Building to report its energy use?
Western Building 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:716:2025). 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
- Salvation Army Nw Div Headquarters· 85,963 sq ft · score 62 (C)
- Northwest Bldg· 85,385 sq ft · score 100 (A)
- Emerald Landing I· 84,116 sq ft · score 10 (D)
- 400 Mercer Street Office Building· 80,019 sq ft · score 64 (C)
- O'shea Building/Gap· 79,957 sq ft · score 94 (A)
- Poll Building· 79,920 sq ft · EUI 49.8 kBtu/ft²
- 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 Western Building's energy grade?
Western Building scores 97 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 Western Building use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 29.0 kBtu/ft² (56.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 86,204 sq ft, including 359,596 kWh of electricity and 11,266 therms of natural gas.
What are Western Building's carbon emissions?
Western Building reported 65 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (0.8 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is Western Building?
Western Building is at 615 WESTERN AVE, in Seattle, Washington 98104. Its coordinates are 47.60222, -122.33599 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Western Building and when was it built?
Western Building has 86,204 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1910 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Western Building 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).
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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, “Western Building, Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/western-building-a0429256 (data as of October 2, 2026).