The present disclosure relates to a sensor network, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the above technologies, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. method for controlling energy in a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system includes determining whether a user is absent in a use space for energy control; if the user is absent, determining whether to initiate energy control by using a user's departure and arrival probability and a probability distribution of a length of time away, which are determined based on previously stored data.