Benchmarking Automated Machine Learning for Building Energy Performance Prediction: A Comparative Study with SHAP-Based Interpretability

The growing demand for energy-efficient buildings necessitates innovative approaches to reduce energy consumption during early design stages. While traditional physics-based simulations remain time- and expertise-intensive, automated machine learning (AutoML) offers a promising alternative by enabling data-driven building performance prediction with minimal human intervention. This study conducts a benchmark evaluation of AutoML’s potential in building energy applications through three objectives: (1) a literature review revealing AutoML’s nascent adoption (10 identified studies) and primary use cases (heating/cooling prediction, energy demand forecasting); (2) a benchmark comparing three AutoML frameworks (AutoGluon, H2O, Auto-sklearn) against baseline and ensemble ML models using R2, RMSE, MSE, and MAE metrics; and (3) SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations)-based interpretability analysis. Results demonstrate AutoGluon’s superior accuracy (R2 = 0.993, RMSE = 2.280 kWh/m2) in predicting energy performance, outperforming traditional methods. Key influential features, including solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and U-values, were identified through SHAP, offering actionable design insights. The primary novelty of this work lies in its two-step methodology: a focused review to identify pertinent AutoML frameworks, followed by a comparative benchmarking of these frameworks against traditional ML for early-stage prediction. This process substantiates AutoML’s potential to democratize energy modeling and deliver practical, interpretable workflows for architectural design.