Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School
K-12 School in Washington, DC, DC · 420 12TH STREET SE · 20003
At a glance
Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School is a 69,300-square-foot K-12 school at 420 12TH STREET SE in Washington, DC, built in 2017. In its 2017 Washington, DC benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 44 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 65.5 kBtu/ft² and 379 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 55% of the 304 scored K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC.
Clean and Affordable Energy Act / BEPS · reporting year 2017
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 44 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 65.5 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 140.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 379 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 5.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 699,517 kWh |
| Natural gas | 21,528 therms |
| Gross floor area | 69,300 sq ft |
| Source record | dc:PM3365966:2017 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017latest | 44 | -19 | 65.5 kBtu/ft² | 379 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 63 | +44 | 71.1 kBtu/ft² | 349 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 19 | 95.7 kBtu/ft² | 507 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | — | 518 tCO₂e | |
| 2013 | — | — | 437 tCO₂e | |
| 2012 | — | — | 385 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
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
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Location
- Address
- 420 12TH STREET SE
- City
- Washington, DC
- State
- District of Columbia
- ZIP
- 20003
- Coordinates
- 38.88360, -76.98993
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Eastern Market - Campusscore 52
Mixed Use Property · 432,945 sq ft
- Beckert's Park (bc037)score 92
Multifamily Housing · 421,855 sq ft
- Potomac Senior / Familyscore 10
Multifamily Housing · 349,266 sq ft
- Jenkins Rowscore 96
Multifamily Housing · 324,759 sq ft
- Jenkins Rowscore 53
Multifamily Housing · 220,808 sq ft
- The Bixby (bx022)score 47
Multifamily Housing · 218,400 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Washington, DC · biggest emitters
How does Watkins Recreation Center/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. Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School's ENERGY STAR score of 44 compares with an average of 44 across the 304 that report a score; it scores higher than 55% of them and lower than 44%. Its site EUI of 65.5 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 64.1 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 5.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 15% above the group average of 4.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 69,300 sq ft, it is about 35% below the average floor area of 105,946 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 2017, 68 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 Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 6 Washington, DC disclosures for Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School, covering report years 2012–2017. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 19 in 2015 to 44 in 2017 (+25 points); its best year on file was 2016, at 63. Site EUI moved from 95.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 65.5 kBtu/ft² (2017), a 32% decrease. Reported emissions went from 385 tCO₂e to 379 tCO₂e over the same span (down 1%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 44 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 44 means the building performs better than about 44% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 44 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 31 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. Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School's 65.5 kBtu/ft² across 69,300 sq ft works out to about 4.5 billion Btu (1,330 MWh-equivalent) in 2017. Its source EUI of 140.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 699,517 kWh of electricity and 21,528 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School to report its energy use?
Watkins Recreation Center/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 2017 disclosure (source record dc:PM3365966:2017). 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 K-12 school buildings in Washington, DC
- Kingsbury Center· 69,000 sq ft
- KIPP DC - Smilow Campus· 68,984 sq ft · score 90 (A)
- Key Elementary School· 68,290 sq ft · score 69 (C)
- Georgetown Day School· 68,000 sq ft · score 1 (D)
- River Terrace Education Campus· 67,864 sq ft · score 12 (D)
- Stoddert Elementary School· 67,450 sq ft · score 4 (D)
- 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 Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School's energy grade?
Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School scores 44 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 Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School use?
Its 2017 site energy-use intensity was 65.5 kBtu/ft² (140.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 69,300 sq ft, including 699,517 kWh of electricity and 21,528 therms of natural gas.
What are Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School's carbon emissions?
Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School reported 379 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (5.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2017.
Where is Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School?
Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School is at 420 12TH STREET SE, in Washington, DC 20003. Its coordinates are 38.88360, -76.98993 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School and when was it built?
Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School has 69,300 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2017 disclosure. The disclosure lists 2017 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School 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, “Watkins Recreation Center/Elementary School, Washington, DC — 2017 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/washington-dc/watkins-recreation-center-elementary-school-0839be6c (data as of July 9, 2026).