News Brief
Seattle's Energy Hogs Built in 1960s to 1980s
Energy reporting in the Emerald City reveals 41% of large buildings are Energy Stars, while the most wasteful buildings could save millions on energy bills.
Low, Average, and High EUI by Building Type
![](https://www.buildinggreen.com/sites/default/files/styles/smartphone_full/public/Seattle_Benchmarking_2012.jpg?itok=NagBhnPi×tamp=1462015444)
By compiling and publishing benchmarking data, the City of Seattle hopes to spur building owners to make changes that could save them millions.
Source: City of SeattleAmong those cities, Seattle claims the highest compliance rate: 93% of building owners required to disclose actually did so in 2012, making data available from 2,600 commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 ft2 and larger. The report found that just 18% of those buildings had Energy Star certification, even though 41% would qualify for certification due to benchmarking scores of 75 or higher (meaning they perform better than 75% of U.S. buildings of the same type). In fact, Seattle buildings overall had a mean Energy Star score of 68.
Grocery stores, hospitals, and courthouses showed the highest median energy use intensity (EUI)—with supermarkets topping 215 kBtu/ft2—while the median EUI for multifamily housing (at 31.9) was almost as low as that of warehouses (30.4).
Office buildings were in between, with a median EUI of 59.7, though results varied by age. “Office building energy performance was worst for mid-century buildings built between the 1960s and 1980s,” the report states, “but better for those constructed earlier and for those built since 2000.”
For more information:
Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking Report
Published March 3, 2014 Permalink Citation
Melton, P. (2014, March 3). Seattle's Energy Hogs Built in 1960s to 1980s. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/seattles-energy-hogs-built-1960s-1980s
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