Predictions of monthly energy consumption and annual patterns of energy usage for convenience stores by using multiple and nonlinear regression models

Thirty convenience stores in College Station, Texas, have been selected as the samples for an energy consumption prediction. The predicted models assist facility energy managers for making decisions of energy demand/supply plans. The models are applied to historical data for two years: 2001 and 2002. The approaches are (1) to analyze nonlinear regression models for long term forecasting of annual patterns compared with outdoor temperature, and (2) to analyze multiple regression models for the building type regardless of outdoor temperature. In the first approach, twenty four buildings are categorized as base load group and no base group. Average temperature, cooling efficiencies, and cooling knot temperature are estimated by nonlinear regression models: segment and parabola models. The adjusted r-square results in good performance up to ninety percent accuracy. In the second approach, the other selected six buildings are categorized as no trend group. This group does not respond to outdoor temperature. As the result, multiple a regression model is formed by combination of variables from the nonlinear models and physical building variables of cooling efficiency, cooling temperature, light bulbs, area, outdoor temperature, and orientation of fronts. This model explains up to sixty percent of all convenience stores' data. In conclusion, the accuracy of prediction models is measured by the adjusted r-square results. Among these three models, the multiple regression model shows the highest adjusted r-square (0.597) over the parabola (0.5419) and segment models (0.4806). When the three models come to the application, the multiple regression model is best fit for no trend data type. However, when it is used to predict the energy consumption with the buildings that relate to outdoor temperature, segment and parabola model provide a better prediction result.