The algorithms for short-term load forecast (STLF), especially within the next-hour horizon, belong to a group of methodologies that aim to render more effective the actions of planning, operating and controlling electric energy systems (EES). In the context of the progressive liberalization of the electricity sector, unbundling of the previous monopolistic structure emphasizes the need for load forecast, particularly at the network level. Methodologies such as artificial neural networks (ANN) have been widely used in next-hour load forecast. Designing an ANN requires the proper choice of input variables, avoiding overfitting and an unnecessarily complex input vector (IV). This may be achieved by trying to reduce the arbitrariness in the choice of endogenous variables. At a first stage, we have applied the mathematical techniques of process-reconstruction to the underlying stochastic process, using coding and block entropies to characterize the measure and memory range. At a second stage, the concept of consumption trend in homologous days of previous weeks has been used. The possibility to include weather-related variables in the IV has also been analysed, the option finally being to establish a model of the non-weather sensitive type. The paper uses a real-life case study. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.