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In the last two decades, preliminary energy assessments have gradually become mandatory for new constructions in most of Europe, Australia and North America. Sound tools have been developed to support the energy performance analysis of building designs. However, their scale of analysis is limited by definition. The complexity that results from the minute consideration of multiple parameters grows exponentially when further buildings are added to the model. It is, therefore, highly inefficient to base the assessment of large urban areas on models that are intended for individual buildings. Yet the need for instruments that facilitate evaluations at the urban scale is unquestionable. A great extent of the current urban fabric has never been analyzed and hence measures to reduce consumption and carbon emissions from existing buildings are grounded on assumptions and generalizations. This paper presents the Urban Energy Index for Buildings (UEIB), a tool that has been specifically designed to assess the energy performance of buildings in large urban areas. It is based on the reduction of the urban geometry into a simpler notional grid that retains critical information to perform meaningful estimates. It aims for simplicity and ease of use so that energy aspects can be incorporated at the preliminary stages of urban plans and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]