Optimizing Energy Forecasting Using ANN and RF Models for HVAC and Heating Predictions

Industry 5.0 is transforming energy demand by integrating sustainability into energy planning, ensuring market stability while minimizing environmental impact for future generations. There are several patterns for calculating energy consumption depending on whether it is measured daily, monthly, or annually through the integration of artificial intelligence approaches, particularly Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Random Forests (RFs), and within the framework of Industry 5.0. This study employs machine learning techniques to analyze energy consumption data from two distinct buildings in Spain: the LUCIA facility in Valladolid and the FUHEM Building in Madrid. The implementation was conducted using custom MATLAB code developed in-house. Our approach systematically evaluates and compares the predictive performance of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Random Forests (RFs) for energy demand forecasting, leveraging each algorithm’s unique characteristics to assess their suitability for this application. The performances of both models are calculated using the Root Mean Square Percentage Error (RMSPE), Root Mean Square Relative Percentage Error (RMSRPE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Relative Percentage Error (MARPE), Kling–Gupta Efficiency (KGE), and also the coefficient of determination, R2. Training times are validated using ANN and RF models. Lucia RF took 2.8 s, while Lucia ANN took 40 s; FUHEM RF took 0.3 s, compared to FUHEM ANN, which took 1.1 s. The performances of the two models are described in detail to show the effectiveness of each of them.