Thermophysical properties of wall construction have a considerable bearing on the building cooling energy demands. This research simulates the effect of nine wall construction materials in India on building annual cooling energy demands in Hot Semi-Arid and Subtropical Highland climate of Ahmedabad and Dehradun, as per Koppen Geiger climate classifications. The nine materials chosen by referring the National Database of Thermophysical Properties of Walling Materials include fired clay brick, fly ash brick, solid concrete brick, calcium silicate block, aerated concrete block, and cellular lightweight concrete blocks. Energy Plus simulations reveal consistent trends in wall construction materials’ energy efficiency in Ahmedabad and Dehradun. “Solid Concrete Brick” consistently has the highest annual cooling energy consumption (ACEC), exceeding 13,000 kWh in Ahmedabad and 8000 kWh in Dehradun. Similarly, “Fired Clay Bricks” and “Fly Ash Bricks” rank high in ACEC in both cities. Conversely, “Aerated Concrete Blocks” consistently demonstrates lower energy consumption. In both Ahmedabad and Dehradun, regression analysis with high \(R^2\) values ( \(98.56\%\) and \(98.35\%\) , respectively) underscores the significant influence of density and conductivity on building cooling energy consumption. These findings stress the importance of choosing low-density and low-conductivity wall materials to enhance energy efficiency in both locations.