# Can AI Make Energy Retrofit Decisions? An Evaluation of Large Language Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.06307 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.06307/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 59 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Sep 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11903/) (2022)
- [Large Language Models are Zero-Shot Reasoners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.11916/) (2022)
- [A Systematic Survey of Prompt Engineering in Large Language Models: Techniques and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.07927/) (2024)
- [Explainability for Large Language Models: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.01029/) (2023)
- [Does Prompt Formatting Have Any Impact on LLM Performance?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.10541/) (2024)
- [The Butterfly Effect of Altering Prompts: How Small Changes and Jailbreaks Affect Large Language Model Performance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.03729/) (2024)
- [Fine-tuning large language models for domain adaptation: Exploration of training strategies, scaling, model merging and synergistic capabilities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.03444/) (2024)
- [Retrieval-augmented Generation to Improve Math Question-Answering: Trade-offs Between Groundedness and Human Preference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.03184/) (2023)
- [Exploring the Capabilities and Limitations of Large Language Models in the Electric Energy Sector](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.09125/) (2024)
- [Predictions from language models for multiple-choice tasks are not robust under variation of scoring methods](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00998/) (2024)
- [EF-LLM: Energy Forecasting LLM with AI-assisted Automation, Enhanced Sparse Prediction, Hallucination Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00852/) (2024)
- [Information Re-Organization Improves Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.13985/) (2024)
- [Neural-Symbolic Collaborative Distillation: Advancing Small Language Models for Complex Reasoning Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.13203/) (2024)
- [Investigating Context Effects in Similarity Judgements in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.10711/) (2024)
- [Retrieval-Augmented Generation by Evidence Retroactivity in LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.05475/) (2025)
- [LuminLab: An AI-Powered Building Retrofit and Energy Modelling Platform](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.16057/) (2024)
- [Testing Uncertainty of Large Language Models for Physics Knowledge and Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.14465/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Agentic AI Home Energy Management System: A Large Language Model Framework for Residential Load Scheduling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.26603/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Conventional approaches to building energy retrofit decision making suffer from limited generalizability and low interpretability, hindering adoption in diverse residential contexts. With the growth of Smart and Connected Communities, generative AI, especially large language models (LLMs), may help by processing contextual information and producing practitioner readable recommendations. We evaluate seven LLMs (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, Grok, Llama, and Claude) on residential retrofit decisions under two objectives: maximizing CO2 reduction (technical) and minimizing payback period (sociotechnical). Performance is assessed on four dimensions: accuracy, consistency, sensitivity, and reasoning, using a dataset of 400 homes across 49 US states. LLMs generate effective recommendations in many cases, reaching up to 54.5 percent top 1 match and 92.8 percent within top 5 without fine tuning. Performance is stronger for the technical objective, while sociotechnical decisions are limited by economic trade offs and local context. Agreement across models is low, and higher performing models tend to diverge from others. LLMs are sensitive to location and building geometry but less sensitive to technology and occupant behavior. Most models show step by step, engineering style reasoning, but it is often simplified and lacks deeper contextual awareness. Overall, LLMs are promising assistants for energy retrofit decision making, but improvements in accuracy, consistency, and context handling are needed for reliable practice.