Including the human dimension in energy models will pose a challenge in coming years. The complex and diffuse nature of the human dimension, typical of social studies, makes it difficult to identify and represent in models. In this article, we combine structural analysis, word clouds and co-occurrence networks based on bibliometric information to analyse the role of human dimension in modelling energy systems and to discover key variables and current perspectives. This methodology proves to be useful for conducting a rapid analysis of the studied object and is recommended for projects or research in an exploratory or preliminary stage. The results regarding the human dimension suggest that it is a concept that encompasses a broad set of variables, including social and environmental variables and that it represents human intervention in the modelling process. Current research efforts focused on identifying or characterising the factors of the human dimension normally represent it in models as an output or an indicator. ‘development’ and ‘demand’ are to major topics in the study of human dimension since they already have a large base of studies and can serve as a bridge to integrate variables of the human dimension with the technical and financial aspects of current energy models. The results also highlight the relevance of participative methods in the conception and modelling of energy systems. Other relevant topics are those that focus on distributed systems, energy storage and new market configurations.