The model used to evaluate building energy consumption plays an important role in energy efficient building design. In this work, we present a general metamodel for building energy consumption for cooling. The model considers that each building element has an individual energy consumption and assumes that the building energy consumption for cooling is a polynominal function of these individual energy consumptions. The model was tested on an office located in the Mediterranean climate of Nice and the hot climate of Dubai. Linear and quadratic models were derived from the general model and analyzed for each climate. The model coefficients were identified by multiple regression analysis. The metamodel represents a fast way to perform calculations with practically the same accuracy as that of the dynamic simulation. The accuracy, speed and ease of use of the developed metalmodel make it a useful took to perform parametric studies and to be used in future building energy standards and design guidelines.