The objective of this research is to compare the energy consumption of seven recently built residential neighborhoods in the urban region of Neuchatel, Switzerland, in order to identify the influence of centrality on total energy spending. Primary energy is used as a common reference value to include the energy required for construction, operation and transportation. An additional objective is to identify which types of energy expenditures account for the largest portion of the overall balance. Operating energy has the greatest impact on the total consumption, which highlights the need for measures promoting the construction of buildings that are highly energy efficient, despite the additional initial investment. Total energy consumption correlates to centrality only when related to households, which highlights the prevalence of occupant density over built density. These results allow setting objectives for new urban housing that meet both energy standards for buildings and the needs of households that contain a greater number of people, in an attractive, affordable manner. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.