How to create an XY graph
An XY graph plots two measurements against each other, with no time involved. Each point is a moment, and the pattern the points form shows whether there's a relationship between the two values.
The classic use: energy consumption against outdoor temperature. The points then fall along a line showing how much more the building uses for each degree it gets colder.
How to create an XY graph
- Open the building you want to work on. See How to switch building and search for a building.
- Go to Analysis > XY graph in the sidebar.
- Click New.
The graph is created immediately and you land straight in it.
- Click Timeseries on X-axis and choose the measurement for the X axis — whatever you think is the cause, outdoor temperature for example.
- Click Timeseries on Y-axis and choose the value for the Y axis — the effect, energy consumption for example.
- Select the period.
- Name the graph using the pencil icon beside the title.
How to choose the aggregate
Aggregate decides how values are combined per point: Average, Sum, Max or Min.
For energy against temperature, Average temperature against Sum energy is what makes sense per day. Pick Sum for both and you're summing temperatures — which isn't a quantity that means anything.
How to filter out days you don't want
The Days filter lets you remove days that muddy the picture:
- Show all days
- Holidays
- Out of operation
- Hide all below
This is often what makes an XY graph usable. A building standing empty at weekends produces its own cloud of points well below the rest — filter out Out of operation and Holidays, and the relationship for normal operation emerges.
Note: The shading and filtering are based on the building's registered opening hours. If they haven't been entered, Properate can't tell operational from non-operational. See How to register opening hours for a building.
The formula
Properate shows Applied formula: with the fitted relationship between X and Y. That's what you use to say "the building uses this many more kWh per degree" — and to judge whether a measure has moved the line.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use an XY graph rather than a timeseries graph?
Timeseries graph when the question is when something happened. XY graph when the question is whether there's a relationship. See How to create a timeseries analysis.
Why are the points scattered with no pattern?
There's no clear relationship between the two values in that period — or days with completely different operation have been mixed in. Try the Days filter first.
Can I share an XY graph?
Yes, sharing and importing work just as they do for timeseries analyses. See How to share an analysis.
Tip!
Always put the cause on the X axis and the effect on Y. The graph draws either way, but the formula reads as "Y per X" — swap them and you get a formula that's technically correct and practically useless.