This paper presents a comparison of the energy required for major building materials at the time of construction of single and double storey residential buildings with load bearing walls, and four storey residential buildings with reinforced concrete construction in India. For the total floor area of 50–200 sq. m, total energy consumption per unit of floor area decreases, from 5 to 4.1 GJ for single storey, from 4.2 to 3.7 for double storey, and from 4.3 to 3.1 GJ for four storey buildings.