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The construction industry plays a crucial role in achieving carbon neutrality by reducing energy consumption. However, Building energy consumption (BEC) in China is increasing concomitantly with the rapid increase in urbanization. This study utilizes nighttime light data to construct a nighttime light index for urbanization, and empirically studies the impacts of urbanization on BEC intensity. The results show that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between BEC intensity and urbanization level on a nationwide scale, while an inverted-U relationship exists in Eastern developed regions, suggesting that an increasing BEC intensity is not an inevitable result of urbanization. Urbanization in the compact city mode inhibits BEC intensity to some extent, while urbanization in the urban sprawl mode often develops at the expense of increasing BEC intensity. The acceleration of the regional coordinated development and the adoption of the compact city mode are suggested to achieve energy-saving and emission-reduction targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]