1275 Penn Ave NW
Office in Washington, DC, DC · 12745 Penn Avenue NW · 20004
At a glance
1275 Penn Ave NW is a 246,341-square-foot office building at 12745 Penn Avenue NW in Washington, DC, built in 1955. In its 2020 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 82 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 34.5 kBtu/ft² and 814 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 70% of the 774 scored office buildings in Washington, DC.
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS · reporting year 2020
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 82 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 34.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 96.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 814 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,491,949 kWh |
| Natural gas | 0 therms |
| Water use | 1,036 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 246,341 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM2701785:2020 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020latest | 82 | +7 | 34.5 kBtu/ft² | 814 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 75 | +1 | 40.4 kBtu/ft² | 952 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 74 | +5 | 41.3 kBtu/ft² | 974 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 69 | -25 | 59.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,118 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 94 | -1 | 37.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,021 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 95 | +18 | 33.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,072 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 77 | -7 | 47.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,501 tCO₂e |
| 2013 | 84 | +21 | 41.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,260 tCO₂e |
| 2012 | 63 | 73.1 kBtu/ft² | 2,206 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS
DC's Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) require buildings below the performance standard to improve over compliance cycles (the first ends December 31, 2026; later cycles run five years), with penalties for buildings that fail to meet their pathway.
Ownership
PENNSYLVANIA BUILDING
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Location
- Address
- 12745 Penn Avenue NW
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20004
- Coordinates
- 38.89566, -77.02925
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does 1275 Penn Ave NW compare with other office buildings in Washington, DC?
The latest disclosures cover 899 office buildings in Washington, DC, out of 6,870 buildings citywide. 1275 Penn Ave NW's ENERGY STAR score of 82 compares with an average of 70 across the 774 that report a score; it scores higher than 70% of them and lower than 28%. Its site EUI of 34.5 kBtu/ft² is about 38% below the average of 55.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 3.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 34% below the group average of 5.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 246,341 sq ft, it is about 14% above the average floor area of 216,135 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1955, 19 years earlier than the group's average year built (1974). 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 1275 Penn Ave NW's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Washington, DC disclosures for 1275 Penn Ave NW, covering report years 2012–2020. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 63 in 2012 to 82 in 2020 (+19 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 95. Site EUI moved from 73.1 kBtu/ft² (2012) to 34.5 kBtu/ft² (2020), a 53% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,206 tCO₂e to 814 tCO₂e over the same span (down 63%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 82 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 82 means the building performs better than about 82% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 82 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 Washington, DC, 47% 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. 1275 Penn Ave NW's 34.5 kBtu/ft² across 246,341 sq ft works out to about 8.5 billion Btu (2,491 MWh-equivalent) in 2020. Its source EUI of 96.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,491,949 kWh of electricity, 0 therms of natural gas and 1,036 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 1275 Penn Ave NW to report its energy use?
1275 Penn Ave NW reports under the Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS, the legal basis of Washington, DC's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2020 disclosure (source record dc:PM2701785:2020). DC's Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) require buildings below the performance standard to improve over compliance cycles (the first ends December 31, 2026; later cycles run five years), with penalties for buildings that fail to meet their pathway.
More office buildings in Washington, DC
- Evening Star Building 2· 246,136 sq ft · score 75 (B)
- WWF Square 0024 Lot 0115· 245,627 sq ft · score 94 (A)
- Fannie Mae 3900 (222231) SSL: 1823 0801· 245,397 sq ft · score 19 (D)
- The Foundry Building· 244,850 sq ft · score 84 (B)
- 801 9th Street NW· 244,837 sq ft · score 76 (B)
- The Wharf DC 800 Maine Ave SW· 244,391 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- Office buildings in Washington, DC· 899 benchmarked
- All Washington, DC benchmarked buildings· Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS
- Most efficient large buildings in Washington, DC
- Least efficient large buildings in Washington, DC
- Biggest emitters in Washington, DC
Frequently asked questions
What is 1275 Penn Ave NW's energy grade?
1275 Penn Ave NW scores 82 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2020 Washington, DC disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 1275 Penn Ave NW use?
Its 2020 site energy-use intensity was 34.5 kBtu/ft² (96.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 246,341 sq ft, including 2,491,949 kWh of electricity and 0 therms of natural gas.
What are 1275 Penn Ave NW's carbon emissions?
1275 Penn Ave NW reported 814 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2020.
Where is 1275 Penn Ave NW?
1275 Penn Ave NW is at 12745 Penn Avenue NW, in Washington, DC 20004. Its coordinates are 38.89566, -77.02925 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is 1275 Penn Ave NW and when was it built?
1275 Penn Ave NW has 246,341 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2020 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1955 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is 1275 Penn Ave NW covered by the Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS?
Yes — it appears in the 2020 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS.
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS), as published July 9, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “1275 Penn Ave NW, Washington, DC — 2020 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/1275-penn-ave-nw-f4d4d302 (data as of July 9, 2026).