Statistical and Artificial Intelligence-Based Tools for Building Energy Prediction: A Systematic Literature Review

The application of statistical and artificial intelligence (AI) tools in building energy prediction (BEP) is considered one of the most effective advances toward improving energy efficiency. Thus, researchers are constantly propagating the energy prediction field with many prediction models using diverse statistical and AI tools. However, many of these tools are employed in unsuitable data conditions or for wrong situations. Using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Scopus databases, 92 journal articles on statistical and AI tools in BEP were systematically analyzed. Furthermore, a quantitative bibliometric analysis was conducted to pinpoint the trends and examine knowledge gaps. This research reviews the performance of nine popular and promising statistical and AI tools with a primary focus on seven pertinent criteria within the building energy research domain. Although it was concluded that no one tool is best in all criteria, a diagrammatic framework is provided to serve as a guide for appropriate tool selection in various situations. This study contributes to appropriate tool selection in the development of BEP models and their related drawbacks. In addition, this study also evaluated the performance of the high-performing tools on a standard dataset.