A method to evaluate the energy consumption of suburban neighborhoods

Energy use in buildings, transportation systems, and lighting networks represents a significant contribution to the overall energy consumption in urban and suburban areas. This article presents a method to evaluate the energy consumption of suburban neighborhoods from these three points of view, aiming to highlight the most relevant variables linking urban form and neighborhoods' energy consumptions. The method includes three parts: (1) a computational approach combining dynamic simulation tools and a database of building typologies to determine the energy consumed in heating; (2) an empirical approach to assess the energy consumed by transportation systems (four purposes of travel are taken into account: work, school, leisure, and shopping); and (3) a simplified approach to calculate the energy consumed by public lighting. Results from the application of the method to three characteristic suburban neighborhoods in Belgium are presented along with a life cycle energy assessment of buildings. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the effects of building and neighborhood characteristics and of building inhabitant behavior on calculated energy consumption. Results from the analysis show that building insulation, building distribution, heating system management, and neighborhood location are critically important factors in the energy efficiency of suburban residential areas.