The American Legion
Office in Washington, DC, DC · 1608 K Street · 20006
At a glance
The American Legion is a 38,304-square-foot office building at 1608 K Street in Washington, DC, built in 1950. In its 2024 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 41 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 51.1 kBtu/ft² and 171 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 9% 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 | 41 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 51.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 142.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 171 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 568,090 kWh |
| Natural gas | 208 therms |
| Water use | 135 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 38,304 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM33567946:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 41 | +7 | 51.1 kBtu/ft² | 171 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 34 | 55.4 kBtu/ft² | 186 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | — | — |
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
AMERICAN LEGION WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS
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Location
- Address
- 1608 K Street
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20006
- Coordinates
- 38.90218, -77.03735
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Main Complexscore 59
Office · 1,872,507 sq ft
- International Squarescore 56
Office · 1,233,833 sq ft
- Midtown Centerscore 91
Office · 911,093 sq ft
- Lafayette Centrescore 74
Office · 908,482 sq ft
- 1300 Buildingscore 95
Bank/Financial Institution · 803,167 sq ft
- NGS Headquartersscore 68
Office · 746,237 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does The American Legion compare with other office buildings in Washington, DC?
The latest disclosures cover 899 office buildings in Washington, DC, out of 6,870 buildings citywide. The American Legion's ENERGY STAR score of 41 compares with an average of 70 across the 774 that report a score; it scores higher than 9% of them and lower than 89%. Its site EUI of 51.1 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with 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 4.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 11% below the group average of 5.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 38,304 sq ft, it is about 82% below the average floor area of 216,135 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1950, 24 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 The American Legion's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 3 Washington, DC disclosures for The American Legion, covering report years 2022–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 34 in 2023 to 41 in 2024 (+7 points). Site EUI moved from 55.4 kBtu/ft² (2023) to 51.1 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 8% decrease. Reported emissions went from 186 tCO₂e to 171 tCO₂e over the same span (down 8%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 41 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 41 means the building performs better than about 41% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 41 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 34 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. The American Legion's 51.1 kBtu/ft² across 38,304 sq ft works out to about 2 billion Btu (574 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 142.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 568,090 kWh of electricity, 208 therms of natural gas and 135 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The American Legion to report its energy use?
The American Legion 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:PM33567946:2024). 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
- 1016 16th Street, NW· 38,025 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- 927 15th Street NW· 37,830 sq ft · score 89 (A)
- Gallery Court· 37,534 sq ft · EUI 51.0 kBtu/ft²
- Molybdenum LLC· 37,297 sq ft · score 91 (A)
- 1436 U Street NW· 36,997 sq ft · score 99 (A)
- 1808 Eye Street· 36,667 sq ft · score 60 (C)
- 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 The American Legion's energy grade?
The American Legion scores 41 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2024 Washington, DC disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does The American Legion use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 51.1 kBtu/ft² (142.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 38,304 sq ft, including 568,090 kWh of electricity and 208 therms of natural gas.
What are The American Legion's carbon emissions?
The American Legion reported 171 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is The American Legion?
The American Legion is at 1608 K Street, in Washington, DC 20006. Its coordinates are 38.90218, -77.03735 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The American Legion and when was it built?
The American Legion has 38,304 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1950 as its year built. It is classed as office.
Is The American Legion 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, “The American Legion, Washington, DC — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/the-american-legion-f23426dd (data as of July 9, 2026).