Assessment of Current Energy Consumption in Residential Buildings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), residential buildings’ energy consumption accounts for almost 50% of the building stock electricity consumption. The KSA’s economy relies heavily on fossil fuel sources, namely oil reservoirs, whose depletion will negatively affect the future development of the country. The total electricity consumption is growing by approximately 5–8% annually, which would lead to oil production and oil consumption being equal in 2035. Therefore, residential buildings need further assessment as regards their current energy consumption. This research used a survey to explore current user behaviour in residential buildings’ energy performance in the city of Jeddah, KSA. The findings of the survey show that several factors impact the energy performance in residential buildings. First, the buildings’ thermal properties were found to be poorly designed. Second, the cultural aspects (family member role and generous hospitality), and the majority of users within the buildings preferring a room temperature of below 24 °C, requires a massive amount of cooling due to the climate conditions. Third, an increase in user awareness has helped to slightly improve residential buildings’ energy efficiency. Knowing the current high-energy-consumption sources and causes, being able to define opportunities for thermal properties’ enhancement, and increasing user awareness of how to achieve self-sustaining buildings are essential.

Techno-Economic Feasibility Assessment of Grid-Connected PV Systems for Residential Buildings in Saudi Arabia—A Case Study

“…According to the 2018 annual report of the General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia and related studies, apartments constitute 64% of the dwellings in Mecca province, where Jeddah city is located [43,44]. The residential building identified for this investigation represents a typical dwelling type in the western region of Saudi Arabia, the city of Jeddah (21.4858 • N, 39.1925 • E).…”

A Resilience and Environmentally Sustainable Assessment Framework (RESAF) for Domestic Building Materials in Saudi Arabia

“…The total weight of the materials amounts to approximately 3,319,162 Kg. Floors, walls and skirting tiles 1,2 Density of the materials extracted from [57,63], to calculate with kg. 3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC).…”

“…This reduction can also increase to 19% if the window frames are replaced with plastic (PVC), as in Option 3. 1 Other properties have not been changed in Table 8.…”

“…Many authors have identified challenges or concerns with the current situation of Saudi Arabian domestic buildings with regard to their sustainability and resilience [1][2][3][4][5][6]. This may be because no homegrown/developed building rating system exists that considers the country's unique factors [7].…”

“…In Saudi Arabia, cooling systems currently account for around 70% of household electrical demands during summer months [12]. Therefore, it is not surprising that domestic buildings consume approximately half of the country's electricity production [1,5]. This is an area where considerable environmental improvements can be made.…”