Building and Urban-Scale Energy Modeling: A Comparative Literature Review of Building Energy Modeling (BEM) and Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM)

Cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO₂ emissions. Given these negative impacts, cities are major contributors to climate change, one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. As dynamic organisms composed of built and natural systems, cities require sustainable design strategies that reduce urban energy consumption. Among these, the building sector plays a key role in overall energy use. In response, Building Energy Modeling (BEM) tools have been developed to estimate and optimize energy consumption during the early design phases of individual buildings. While BEM tools provide accurate simulations of a building’s energy performance, they are limited in scope when addressing energy interactions at the neighborhood or urban scale. In dense urban areas, where factors such as shading, wind flow, and microclimates affect energy demand, Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) approaches have gained importance. UBEM enables energy analysis across building clusters, offering a broader perspective on urban energy efficiency. This study presents a comparative evaluation of BEM and UBEM tools, highlighting their application areas, limitations, and potential contributions. The findings provide recommendations for selecting appropriate modeling strategies to improve energy efficiency in both architectural and urban-scale design.