The amount of energy consumption of individual buildings is a widely discussed theme. However, there are few studies that have analyzed the consumption of energy by groups of buildings. This work aims to develop a model able to estimate the energy consumption by residential sectors, in different areas inside a city, through the adoption of an energy planning methodology using the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil as a case study. In this model, the most important variables of consumption behavior are related to the economy. The methodology coupled different approaches. Its first step was to survey the ownership of appliances and the socioeconomic profile of households in each region inside of the city, through the statistical analysis of census data. The second step was to characterize the average energy consumption by typical residential equipment. Then, it was possible to compute the energy consumption according to equipment and region. Finally, the modeled municipal energy consumption was compared with that recorded by the energy utility company. As a result, maps of energy consumed by end use are presented for the years 1991, 2000, and 2007. The conclusions of this work can be applied in energy planning projections and in local urban planning. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.