The Chatham
Multifamily Housing in Washington, DC, DC · 1707 Columbia Rd NW · 20009
At a glance
The Chatham is a 114,441-square-foot multifamily housing building at 1707 Columbia Rd NW in Washington, DC, built in 1916. In its 2017 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 51 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 57.8 kBtu/ft² and 458 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 19% of the 1,618 scored multifamily housing buildings in Washington, DC.
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS · reporting year 2017
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 51 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 57.8 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 94.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 458 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 4.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 540,618 kWh |
| Natural gas | 47,719 therms |
| Water use | 2,272 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 114,441 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM3500398:2017 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017latest | 51 | -6 | 57.8 kBtu/ft² | 458 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 57 | +44 | 58.4 kBtu/ft² | 474 tCO₂e |
| 2014 | 13 | -2 | 84.0 kBtu/ft² | 808 tCO₂e |
| 2013 | 15 | 78.9 kBtu/ft² | 779 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
ALONZO O BLISS PROPERTIES
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Location
- Address
- 1707 Columbia Rd NW
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20009
- Coordinates
- 38.92509, -77.03962
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does The Chatham compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Washington, DC?
The latest disclosures cover 1,799 multifamily housing buildings in Washington, DC, out of 6,870 buildings citywide. The Chatham's ENERGY STAR score of 51 compares with an average of 72 across the 1,618 that report a score; it scores higher than 19% of them and lower than 80%. Its site EUI of 57.8 kBtu/ft² is about 13% above the average of 51.1 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 4.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 3.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 114,441 sq ft, it is about 16% below the average floor area of 136,346 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1916, 49 years earlier than the group's average year built (1965). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has The Chatham's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 4 Washington, DC disclosures for The Chatham, covering report years 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 15 in 2013 to 51 in 2017 (+36 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 57. Site EUI moved from 78.9 kBtu/ft² (2013) to 57.8 kBtu/ft² (2017), a 27% decrease. Reported emissions went from 779 tCO₂e to 458 tCO₂e over the same span (down 41%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 51 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 51 means the building performs better than about 51% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 51 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 24 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 Chatham's 57.8 kBtu/ft² across 114,441 sq ft works out to about 6.6 billion Btu (1,939 MWh-equivalent) in 2017. Its source EUI of 94.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 540,618 kWh of electricity, 47,719 therms of natural gas and 2,272 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The Chatham to report its energy use?
The Chatham 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 2017 disclosure (source record dc:PM3500398:2017). 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 multifamily housing buildings in Washington, DC
- Trinity Towers· 113,875 sq ft · score 59 (C)
- Trinity Towers Apartments· 113,875 sq ft · score 49 (D)
- Episcopal Church Home Friendship INC· 113,755 sq ft · score 69 (C)
- Langston Lane· 113,703 sq ft · score 42 (D)
- Langston:2726 - 2734 LANGSTON PL SE· 113,703 sq ft · score 83 (B)
- Regency House· 113,486 sq ft · score 45 (D)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Washington, DC· 1,799 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 Chatham's energy grade?
The Chatham scores 51 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2017 Washington, DC disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does The Chatham use?
Its 2017 site energy-use intensity was 57.8 kBtu/ft² (94.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 114,441 sq ft, including 540,618 kWh of electricity and 47,719 therms of natural gas.
What are The Chatham's carbon emissions?
The Chatham reported 458 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (4.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2017.
Where is The Chatham?
The Chatham is at 1707 Columbia Rd NW, in Washington, DC 20009. Its coordinates are 38.92509, -77.03962 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The Chatham and when was it built?
The Chatham has 114,441 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2017 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1916 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is The Chatham covered by the Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS?
Yes — it appears in the 2017 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 Chatham, Washington, DC — 2017 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/the-chatham-4f665877 (data as of July 9, 2026).