Modeling Factors Affecting Residential Natural Gas Consumption Using Fuzzy Cognitive Map

Today, energy is an important part of the economic cycle of various countries in the international relations. Also, given the volatility of oil prices in world markets and its impact on the global economy, it is expected that world's gas industry and the use of gas as an alternative energy becomes more important. Therefore, study and research on supply and demand of energy, especially natural gas, and studying factors affecting energy consumption in various sectors is very important. In this research, first factors affecting the consumption of natural gas in the residential sector is investigated and identified, by interviewing experts of gas industry and through content analysis method, and then the causal model of direct and indirect relationships between the variables and their intensity of influence through fuzzy cognitive map is determined. So, for the first time qualitative cultural and social variables along with the climate, social and economic variables is included in causal modeling.