Median energy use intensity (EUI) benchmarks for 10 commercial property types — sourced from the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Data Trends 2024 report. Find your building type, compare your EUI, and understand what ENERGY STAR certification requires.
Data from ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager 2024, covering millions of square feet of benchmarked commercial space nationwide. All EUI values are source energy (includes upstream generation and transmission losses).
| Property Type | Median EUI | 25th Pct (Best) | 75th Pct (Worst) | ESTAR Score 75 EUI | Data Year |
|---|
All values: source EUI in kBtu/sqft/yr. Source: ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Data Trends 2024. ESTAR Score 75 = certification threshold. Lower EUI = better performance.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager assigns each building a score from 1–100, relative to similar buildings nationally:
| Score Range | Meaning | ENERGY STAR Status |
|---|---|---|
| 75–100 | Top 25% of similar buildings nationally | ✓ Eligible for certification |
| 50–74 | Above median — above average performance | Above average (not certifiable) |
| 50 | Exactly median performance for property type | Average |
| 25–49 | Below median — needs improvement | Below average |
| 1–24 | Bottom quartile — significant savings opportunity | High energy user |
EUI varies 3–4x across office buildings depending on: age of HVAC system (pre-1980 systems use 40–60% more energy), occupancy density (high-density open-plan offices have 20–30% higher EUI), server room load (each kW of IT power adds ~1 kBtu/sqft/yr to building EUI), and plug load density. Green leases and tenant energy disclosure can reduce tenant sub-metering gaps.
Full-service hotels have 30–50% higher EUI than limited-service. Pool operations add 15–30 kBtu/sqft/yr; laundry adds another 10–20. HVAC in guestrooms (PTACs running unoccupied) is typically 35–45% of hotel energy. Occupancy-based HVAC control systems reduce hotel EUI by 10–20% at minimal capital cost.
Retail EUI is dominated by lighting (40–50%) and HVAC (30–40%). Stores with open refrigerated cases add 30–50 kBtu/sqft/yr vs. closed-case stores. LED lighting retrofits with advanced controls typically reduce retail EUI by 20–35%. Night covers on open cases save another 10–15%.
Hospitals require 100% outside air ventilation in procedure rooms and high ACH rates throughout — this alone drives EUI 3–5x above standard office. Energy efficiency opportunities focus on: variable air volume (VAV) controls in corridors and admin areas, heat recovery from exhaust air, efficient central plant (chiller + boiler upgrades), and LED + daylighting in non-clinical areas.
The most energy-efficient commercial type. Lighting (60–70% of warehouse energy) responds directly to LED retrofits — typically cutting EUI by 15–20 kBtu/sqft/yr. Dock door infiltration management reduces heating loads. High-volume low-speed (HVLS) fans reduce stratification and HVAC demand. Unheated warehouses easily achieve EUI below 10 kBtu/sqft/yr.
EnergyStackHub's AI benchmarking tool estimates your ENERGY STAR score from 5 inputs — no Portfolio Manager account required. Get your score and top improvement opportunities in 60 seconds.
Benchmark My Building →Building Performance Standards (BPS) legislation is expanding rapidly. These laws typically mandate that buildings benchmark their energy use annually, then meet performance targets or pay penalties:
| Jurisdiction | Law | Threshold | Key Deadline | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | Local Law 97 | 25,000+ sqft | 2024, 2030 cap tightens | $268/tCO₂e over limit |
| Boston, MA | BERDO 2.0 | 20,000+ sqft | 2025+ compliance phases | Up to $1,000/day |
| Washington D.C. | BEPS | 25,000+ sqft | 2026 first compliance period | $10/sqft excess |
| Denver, CO | BEPS | 25,000+ sqft | 2024–2030 phase-in | EUI reduction required |
| Seattle, WA | Building Tune-Ups + BEPS | 50,000+ sqft | 2026 BPS compliance | Fine + corrective orders |
| Chicago, IL | Chicago Energy Benchmarking | 50,000+ sqft | Annual reporting (data published) | $1,000/day for non-reporting |
The benchmark data on this page shows where buildings need to reach — or stay — to avoid BPS penalties. A hospital at 478 kBtu/sqft (median) is compliant with most hospital-specific BPS provisions; an office at 133 kBtu/sqft (75th percentile) faces penalty exposure under most major city BPS laws.
Enter 5 inputs. Get your estimated ENERGY STAR score, EUI benchmark comparison, and top 3 efficiency recommendations.
Start Free Benchmarking →The ENERGY STAR score (1–100) is a percentile rank, not an efficiency rating — a score of 75 means you're more efficient than 75% of comparable buildings. But what actually separates an ENERGY STAR 90 building from a score-50 building? EPA Portfolio Manager data trends (2024) show it's almost never a single upgrade — it's a combination of operational discipline + targeted capital measures + commissioning. The gap is measurable in $/sqft/year.
Buildings that improved from ENERGY STAR 50 to 75 saved an average of $0.85/sqft/year in energy costs — equivalent to $85,000/year for a 100,000 sqft office building. For a portfolio of 50 locations at 100,000 sqft each, the 25-point score improvement represents $4.25 million/year in reduced energy spend. (Source: EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Data Trends, 2024. Savings calculation: median EUI improvement from score-50 to score-75 = 18 kBtu/sqft/yr × national avg C&I rate 14.37¢/kWh ÷ 3.412 kBtu/kWh = $0.76/sqft/yr electricity; including gas savings brings total to ~$0.85/sqft/yr.)
| Upgrade | Typical Cost / Sqft | Energy Savings / Sqft / Yr | Simple Payback | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED Lighting Retrofit | $1.50–$3.00 | $0.18–$0.30 | 1.5–3 years | +5–10 pts |
| HVAC Controls + BAS Optimization | $0.75–$2.00 | $0.20–$0.45 | 2–4 years | +8–15 pts |
| Retro-Commissioning | $0.10–$0.30 | $0.15–$0.30 | 0.5–1.5 years | +5–12 pts |
| VFDs on HVAC Fans/Pumps | $0.50–$1.50 | $0.12–$0.25 | 2–5 years | +4–8 pts |
| Building Envelope Air Sealing | $0.20–$0.80 | $0.08–$0.18 | 3–6 years | +3–6 pts |
Cost and savings ranges from: DOE Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency program; ASHRAE 90.1-2022 ECM cost-effectiveness data; EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Data Trends 2024. Score impact estimates based on median EUI improvement for each ECM category across ENERGY STAR-certified office buildings. Actual results vary by building baseline, climate zone, and operational hours.
Based on EPA's analysis of 100,000+ buildings in Portfolio Manager, the top-quartile buildings (score 75+) share a consistent set of practices that median-scoring buildings don't follow:
Enter your building's energy data for an instant ENERGY STAR score estimate — with the specific upgrades that will move your score the most per dollar spent.
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