{ "slug": "building-eui", "title": "Building Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Calculator", "heading": "Building Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Calculator", "category": "other", "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/building-eui", "summary": "kBtu per square foot per year, benchmarked against ENERGY STAR medians.", "description": "EUI is the standard metric for comparing building energy performance regardless of size, and it's required input for ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager scoring, many city benchmarking ordinances (NYC Local Law 84, Chicago, Seattle), and most green building certifications. This calculator converts your annual electricity and gas consumption into site EUI (kBtu per sq ft per year) and compares it against typical ENERGY STAR medians by building type, so you can see roughly where you stand without pulling a full Portfolio Manager report. Site EUI counts energy delivered to the building; source EUI (which Portfolio Manager also reports) accounts for generation and transmission losses upstream and is usually 2-3x higher for electricity-heavy buildings. Cities with benchmarking mandates increasingly attach financial penalties to buildings that miss EUI targets, so this number has moved from a nice-to-have sustainability metric to a compliance and asset-value figure for commercial real estate.", "formula": "Site EUI = (kWh × 3.412 + therms × 100) ÷ square footage, in kBtu/sq ft/yr.", "dateModified": "2026-09-30", "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=building-eui", "inputs": [ { "id": "kwh", "label": "Annual electricity", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 800000, "unit": "kWh", "min": 0, "max": null }, { "id": "therms", "label": "Annual natural gas", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 30000, "unit": "therms", "min": 0, "max": null }, { "id": "sqft", "label": "Building square footage", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 100000, "unit": "sq ft", "min": 1, "max": null }, { "id": "type", "label": "Building type", "kind": "select", "hint": null, "default": "office", "options": [ { "value": "office", "label": "Office (median ~67 kBtu/sq ft)" }, { "value": "retail", "label": "Retail (median ~68 kBtu/sq ft)" }, { "value": "hospital", "label": "Hospital (median ~230 kBtu/sq ft)" }, { "value": "school", "label": "K-12 school (median ~57 kBtu/sq ft)" }, { "value": "hotel", "label": "Hotel (median ~90 kBtu/sq ft)" } ] } ], "outputs": [ { "id": "eui", "label": "Site EUI", "format": "decimal", "hint": null, "primary": true }, { "id": "kbtu", "label": "Total annual energy", "format": "number", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "median", "label": "ENERGY STAR median for type", "format": "decimal", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "vsMedianPct", "label": "vs. median (positive = worse)", "format": "percent", "hint": null, "primary": false } ], "worked_example": { "inputs": [ "Annual electricity: 800000 kWh", "Annual natural gas: 30000 therms", "Building square footage: 100000 sq ft", "Building type: Office (median ~67 kBtu/sq ft)" ], "outputs": [ "Site EUI: 57.3", "Total annual energy: 5,729,600", "ENERGY STAR median for type: 67", "vs. median (positive = worse): -14.5%" ] }, "how_to": { "title": "How to use this", "steps": [ "Enter annual electricity (kWh).", "Enter annual natural gas (therms).", "Enter building square footage (sq ft).", "Enter building type.", "Read your site eui on the right — it updates as you type.", "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone." ] }, "scenarios": [ { "name": "Conservative", "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?", "values": { "kwh": 480000, "therms": 18000, "sqft": 60000, "type": "office" } }, { "name": "Typical", "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.", "values": { "kwh": 800000, "therms": 30000, "sqft": 100000, "type": "office" } }, { "name": "Ambitious", "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?", "values": { "kwh": 1280000, "therms": 48000, "sqft": 160000, "type": "office" } } ], "limitations": [ "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.", "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.", "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote." ], "faq": [ { "q": "What's the difference between site EUI and source EUI?", "a": "Site EUI measures energy delivered to your meter. Source EUI multiplies electricity by a conversion factor (about 2.8-3.1x in the US) to account for generation and transmission losses, so an all-electric building looks worse on source EUI than a gas-heavy one even at identical site EUI. Regulatory benchmarking ordinances typically use both." }, { "q": "My city requires benchmarking — is this the same as Portfolio Manager?", "a": "This gives you a quick estimate, but official benchmarking ordinances require submission through EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool, which pulls exact billing data and applies weather normalization. Use this calculator to sanity-check your number before or after you run the official report." }, { "q": "How much can retrofits realistically move my EUI?", "a": "LED lighting retrofits alone typically cut 5-15% of site EUI in older buildings; HVAC upgrades and controls optimization can add another 10-20%. Deep energy retrofits (envelope plus systems) targeting 30-50% reduction usually require a multi-year capital plan, not a single project." } ], "related": [ "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/led-retrofit-payback", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/scope1-2-emissions", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/water-use-intensity" ], "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "citation": "RevenueLab — Building Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/building-eui)" }