LaSalle-Backus Elementary School
K-12 School in Washington, DC, DC · 501 RIGGS ROAD NE · 20011
At a glance
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School is a 58,821-square-foot K-12 school at 501 RIGGS ROAD NE in Washington, DC, built in 1957. In its 2024 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 61 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 65.3 kBtu/ft² and 239 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 73% of the 304 scored K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC.
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 61 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 65.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 98.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 239 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 299,663 kWh |
| Natural gas | 25,210 therms |
| Water use | 594 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 58,821 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM12004429:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 61 | +5 | 65.3 kBtu/ft² | 239 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 56 | -3 | 68.1 kBtu/ft² | 243 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 59 | -9 | 77.8 kBtu/ft² | 284 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 68 | +1 | 64.7 kBtu/ft² | 226 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 67 | +4 | 56.3 kBtu/ft² | 214 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 63 | 69.1 kBtu/ft² | 280 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
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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Location
- Address
- 501 RIGGS ROAD NE
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20011
- Coordinates
- 38.96045, -76.99936
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does LaSalle-Backus Elementary School compare with other K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC?
The latest disclosures cover 333 K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC, out of 6,870 buildings citywide. LaSalle-Backus Elementary School's ENERGY STAR score of 61 compares with an average of 44 across the 304 that report a score; it scores higher than 73% of them and lower than 26%. Its site EUI of 65.3 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 64.1 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 4.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 15% below the group average of 4.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 58,821 sq ft, it is about 44% below the average floor area of 105,946 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1957, 8 years later than the group's average year built (1949). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has LaSalle-Backus Elementary School's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 6 Washington, DC disclosures for LaSalle-Backus Elementary School, covering report years 2019–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 63 in 2019 to 61 in 2024 (-2 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 68. Site EUI moved from 69.1 kBtu/ft² (2019) to 65.3 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 5% decrease. Reported emissions went from 280 tCO₂e to 239 tCO₂e over the same span (down 15%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 61 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 61 means the building performs better than about 61% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 61 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 14 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. LaSalle-Backus Elementary School's 65.3 kBtu/ft² across 58,821 sq ft works out to about 3.8 billion Btu (1,126 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 98.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 299,663 kWh of electricity, 25,210 therms of natural gas and 594 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires LaSalle-Backus Elementary School to report its energy use?
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School 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:PM12004429:2024). 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 K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC
- Church of the Annunciation· 58,662 sq ft · score 19 (D)
- King Elementary School· 58,639 sq ft · score 29 (D)
- Rocketship Rise Academy· 58,598 sq ft · score 53 (D)
- Southeast Academy· 58,539 sq ft
- DC Scholars PCS· 57,978 sq ft
- Lorraine H. Whitlock Elementary School· 57,100 sq ft
- K-12 School buildings in Washington, DC· 333 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 LaSalle-Backus Elementary School's energy grade?
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School scores 61 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2024 Washington, DC disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does LaSalle-Backus Elementary School use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 65.3 kBtu/ft² (98.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 58,821 sq ft, including 299,663 kWh of electricity and 25,210 therms of natural gas.
What are LaSalle-Backus Elementary School's carbon emissions?
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School reported 239 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is LaSalle-Backus Elementary School?
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School is at 501 RIGGS ROAD NE, in Washington, DC 20011. Its coordinates are 38.96045, -76.99936 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is LaSalle-Backus Elementary School and when was it built?
LaSalle-Backus Elementary School has 58,821 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1957 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is LaSalle-Backus Elementary School 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, “LaSalle-Backus Elementary School, Washington, DC — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/lasalle-backus-elementary-school-54252b7a (data as of July 9, 2026).