Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Buildings using Human Cognition; via Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) are a useful and powerful tool for modelling and analyzing complex dynamic systems. They can structure virtual worlds that dynamically change over time. In this paper we go beyond the classic FCM methodology by combining the state space representation and the well known FCM methodology. This new advanced method is applied to the calculation of a building's energy consumption and the management of its load. The aim of this paper is to help improve the energy behaviour of buildings thus, contributing from a systems point of view in the effort of addressing the problem of the irrational energy consumption of the building sector. Simulations are performed as a case study, testing the new proposed method. Discussions of the obtained results along with future research directions are provided. (C) 2018, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.