This study presents the life cycle energy analysis of two high-rise residential building case studies located in the tropical climatic zone in India. Case Study A is located in the City of Bangalore (moderate climate) and consists of 160 apartment-type homes spread over 16 floors. Case Study B is located in the City of Thiruvananthapuram (warm humid climate) and consists of 136 homes spread over 21 floors. A detailed study of energy use during the building life cycle has been carried out considering a life span of 50 years. The relative energy usage of all building materials, and building components such as sub-structure, super structure, building envelope and finishing work has been determined. The actual energy used for the building operation of both case studies has been obtained for three years. A comparative analysis has been done to evaluate the differences in the life cycle energy use in both cases. Further, the energy simulation software ‘Design Builder’ is used to simulate the performance of both buildings, validate the findings and carry out sensitivity analysis to study the influence of alternate materials and design options as well as the application of green technologies.