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Human-building interaction in energy management systems: A systematic review with LLM-based topic modeling for user-responsive and adaptive energy systems

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  • Han, Jinmog
  • Mo, Yunjeong

Abstract

The increasing global energy demand and environmental impact of buildings underscore a critical challenge in sustainable urban development. While energy management systems (EMS) have advanced in automation and technical optimization, they frequently overlook the variability of occupant behavior and the influence of human factors. This omission can result in inaccurate energy forecasting and diminished system effectiveness. To address this gap, this study adopts a human-centric perspective grounded in the concept of human-building interaction (HBI) to explore how user-centric considerations are integrated within EMS research. A systematic literature review of 117 HBI-related studies published over the past decade was conducted, followed by topic modeling using a large language model. This approach enabled the extraction of core topics that reflect the intersection of occupant behavior, simulation-aided design, immersive environments, and adaptive control systems. The analysis identified eight representative research topics, which were further validated through manual validation to ensure topic consistency. These findings reveal that an integrative view, encompassing human, building, and interaction dimensions, can inform the design of EMS that better accommodates real-world use patterns and behavioral dynamics. Based on the results, this study offers conceptual guidance and practical implications for developing user-responsive and adaptive energy systems, while outlining future directions for interdisciplinary research in HBI and EMS. This study contributes a novel, structured synthesis of HBI literature that reveals underexplored research gaps and provides conceptual and practical guidance for developing more user-centric EMS.

Suggested Citation

  • Han, Jinmog & Mo, Yunjeong, 2026. "Human-building interaction in energy management systems: A systematic review with LLM-based topic modeling for user-responsive and adaptive energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 403(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:403:y:2026:i:pa:s0306261925018094
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.127079
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