# Combining Advanced Feature-Selection Methods to Uncover Atypical Energy-Consumption Patterns
## 6 Conclusions and Future Work  
This study has provided significant advancements in the analysis of household energy consumption by examining data from 373 dwellings in Brazil using four distinct feature-selection methods: the chi-square (CHI2) independence test, recursive feature elimination with multinomial logistic regression (RFE-MLR), random forest (RF), and fuzzy rough feature selection combined with fuzzy rough nearest neighbor (FRFS-FRNN). These methods were instrumental in identifying key features associated with energy consumption, offering a deeper understanding of consumer behaviors and aiding in identifying out-profiled consumers. The findings from this research can guide future studies in energy consumption, including evaluating new techniques and exploring additional data and features across different regions. From the initial eleven features included in the survey, five were retained after the feature-selection analysis. Subsequent individual analyses confirmed that these features significantly impact household energy consumption across low-, medium-, and high-load profiles. Key findings of this study include the identification of out-profiled dwellings, which are characterized by the absence of heating and air conditioning (HAC) equipment in medium- or high-consumption profiles, the absence of domestic hot water (DHW) equipment in the medium profile, and the presence of only one DHW unit in the high profile. Additionally, dwellings with up to two people in the medium profile and up to three people in the high profile, as well as those with up to two bedrooms in medium or high profiles, were considered out-profiled. Households with an income of up to R$ 4664.68 in medium or high profiles also fell into this category. While this study presents notable advancements, it is not without limitations. Firstly, the research is geographically constrained to Brazilian households, which might limit the generalization of findings to other regions with different climatic, cultural, and socio-economic conditions. Secondly, the effectiveness of the feature-selection methods is contingent on the initial set of features in the dataset. The exclusion of certain variables or the presence of unobserved confounding factors might have influenced the study's outcomes. Despite these limitations, the study opens several directions for future research. One potential path is the development of dynamic energy tariff models based on consumer behavior, as suggested by our findings, which can lead to more equitable billing systems  
Figure 15: Cumulative bar chart of the INC levels percentage in each consumption profile. (**a**) K-means, (**b**) AHC, (**c**) SOM. and promote energy conservation. Additionally, applying these techniques in different geographical and socio-economic contexts can validate and possibly enhance the generalization of our findings. Further research could also explore the integration of additional variables, such as real-time energy-usage data and more granular socio-economic indicators, to deepen the understanding of household energy behavior. In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to the field of energy management by offering a nuanced understanding of household energy behavior through advanced feature-selection techniques. Our findings facilitate the development of tailored strategies for sustainable energy consumption and highlight the potential for more equitable energy management practices. Building on these insights, addressing the identified limitations and exploring new methodologies will foster a more comprehensive understanding of household energy dynamics. Conceptualization, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; data curation, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; formal analysis, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; investigation, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; methodology, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; writing--original draft preparation, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. ; writing--review and editing, L.H., C.C. and F.P.L. All authors contributed equally to this work. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.