Communications Workers of America Building
Office in Washington, DC, DC · 501 Third Street, N.W. · 20001
At a glance
Communications Workers of America Building is a 258,699-square-foot office building at 501 Third Street, N.W. in Washington, DC, built in 1990. In its 2024 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 72 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 41.1 kBtu/ft² and 934 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 41% of the 774 scored office buildings in Washington, DC.
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 72 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 41.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 115.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 934 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.6 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,117,582 kWh |
| Natural gas | 0 therms |
| Water use | 32 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 258,699 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM2728715:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 72 | -4 | 41.1 kBtu/ft² | 934 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 76 | +10 | 40.4 kBtu/ft² | 939 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 66 | ±0 | 48.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,101 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 66 | +9 | 44.8 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2020 | 57 | -6 | 53.7 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2019 | 63 | +5 | 61.6 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 58 | +7 | 69.8 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2017 | 51 | -1 | 81.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,959 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 52 | -5 | 84.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,118 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 57 | +3 | 81.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,376 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 54 | +8 | 83.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,441 tCO₂e |
| 2013 | 46 | +4 | 86.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,384 tCO₂e |
| 2012 | 42 | 89.9 kBtu/ft² | 2,770 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
COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA
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Location
- Address
- 501 Third Street, N.W.
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20001
- Coordinates
- 38.89653, -77.01477
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
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- One Judiciary Squarescore 41
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- H. Carl Moultrie Bldgscore —
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- Georgetown Lawscore —
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See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does Communications Workers of America Building compare with other office buildings in Washington, DC?
The latest disclosures cover 899 office buildings in Washington, DC, out of 6,870 buildings citywide. Communications Workers of America Building's ENERGY STAR score of 72 compares with an average of 70 across the 774 that report a score; it scores higher than 41% of them and lower than 57%. Its site EUI of 41.1 kBtu/ft² is about 26% 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 3.6 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 28% below the group average of 5.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 258,699 sq ft, it is about 20% above the average floor area of 216,135 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1990, 16 years later 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 Communications Workers of America Building's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 13 Washington, DC disclosures for Communications Workers of America Building, covering report years 2012–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 42 in 2012 to 72 in 2024 (+30 points); its best year on file was 2023, at 76. Site EUI moved from 89.9 kBtu/ft² (2012) to 41.1 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 54% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,770 tCO₂e to 934 tCO₂e over the same span (down 66%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 72 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 72 means the building performs better than about 72% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 72 falls in band B — above median (70–84). It sits 3 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. Communications Workers of America Building's 41.1 kBtu/ft² across 258,699 sq ft works out to about 10.6 billion Btu (3,116 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 115.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,117,582 kWh of electricity, 0 therms of natural gas and 32 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Communications Workers of America Building to report its energy use?
Communications Workers of America Building 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 2024 disclosure (source record dc:PM2728715:2024). 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
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- 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
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- Biggest emitters in Washington, DC
Frequently asked questions
What is Communications Workers of America Building's energy grade?
Communications Workers of America Building scores 72 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2024 Washington, DC disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Communications Workers of America Building use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 41.1 kBtu/ft² (115.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 258,699 sq ft, including 3,117,582 kWh of electricity and 0 therms of natural gas.
What are Communications Workers of America Building's carbon emissions?
Communications Workers of America Building reported 934 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.6 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is Communications Workers of America Building?
Communications Workers of America Building is at 501 Third Street, N.W., in Washington, DC 20001. Its coordinates are 38.89653, -77.01477 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Communications Workers of America Building and when was it built?
Communications Workers of America Building has 258,699 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1990 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is Communications Workers of America Building covered by the Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 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, “Communications Workers of America Building, Washington, DC — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/communications-workers-of-america-building-fe0dd17e (data as of July 9, 2026).