scholarly journals Reducing High Energy Demand Associated with Air-Conditioning Needs in Saudi Arabia

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jubran Alshahrani ◽  
Peter Boait

Electricity consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has grown at an annual rate of about 7% as a result of population and economic growth. The consumption of the residential sector accounts for over 50% of the total energy generation. Moreover, the energy consumption of air-conditioning (AC) systems has become 70% of residential buildings’ total electricity consumption in the summer months, leading to a high peak electricity demand. This study investigates solutions that will tackle the problem of high energy demand associated with KSA’s air-conditioning needs in residential buildings. To reduce the AC energy consumption in the residential sector, we propose the use of smart control in the thermostat settings. Smart control can be utilized by (i) scheduling and advance control of the operation of AC systems and (ii) remotely setting the thermostats appropriately by the utilities. In this study, we model typical residential buildings and, crucially, occupancy behavior based on behavioral data obtained through a survey. The potential impacts in terms of achievable electricity savings of different AC operation modes for residential houses of Riyadh city are presented. The results from our computer simulations show that the solutions intended to reduce energy consumption effectively, particularly in the advance mode of operation, resulted in a 30% to 40% increase in total annual energy savings.

Buildings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Felimban ◽  
Alejandro Prieto ◽  
Ulrich Knaack ◽  
Tillmann Klein ◽  
Yasser Qaffas

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Hamlehdar ◽  
Alireza Aslani

Abstract Today, the fossil fuels have dominant share of energy supply in order to respond to the high energy demand in the world. Norway is one of the countries with rich sources of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. The current work is to investigate on the status of energy demand in Norway. First, energy and electricity consumption in various sectors, including industrial, residential are calculated. Then, energy demand in Norway is forecasted by using available tools. After that, the relationship between energy consumption in Norway with Basic economics parameters such as GDP, population and industry growth rate has determined by using linear regression model. Finally, the regression result shows a low correlation between variables.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 31-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamahloko Senatla

Energy modelling serves as a crucial tool for informing both energy policy and strategy development. But the modelling process is faced with both sectoral energy data and structural challenges. Among all the sectors, the residential sector usually presents a huge challenge to the modelling profession due to the dynamic nature of the sector. The challenge is brought by the fact that each an every household in a region may have different energy consumption characteristics and the computing power of the available models cannot incorporate all the details of individual household characteristics. Even if there was enough computing power within the models, energy consumption is collected through surveys and as a result only a sample of a region is captured. These challenges have forced energy modellers to categorise households that have similar characteristics. Different researchers choose different methods for categorising the households. Some researchers choose to categorise households by location and climate, others choose housing types while others choose quintiles. Currently, there is no consensus on which categorisation method takes precedence over others. In these myriad ways of categorising households, the determining factor employed in each method is what is assumed to be the driver of energy demand in that particular area of study. Many researchers acknowledge that households’ income, preferences and access to certain fuels determine how households use energy. Although many researchers recognise that income is the main driver of energy demand in the residential sector, there has been no energy modelling study that has tried to categorise households by income in South Africa. This paper chose to categorise households by income because income is taken to be the main driver of energy demand in the urban residential sector. Gauteng province was chosen as a case study area for this paper. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) is used as a tool for such analysis. This paper will further reveal how the dynamics of differing income across the residential sector affects total energy demand in the long run. The households in Gauteng are classified into three income categories – high, middle and low income households. In addition to different income categories, the paper further investigates the energy demand of Gauteng’s residential sector under three economic scenarios with five energy demand scenarios. The three economic scenarios are first economic scenario (ECO1), second economic scenario (ECO2) and third economic scenario (ECO3). The most distinguishing factor between these economic scenarios is the mobility of households from one income band to the next.The model results show that electricity demand will be high in all the three economic scenarios. The reason for such high electrical energy demand in all the economic scenarios compared to other fuels is due to the fact that among all the provinces, Gauteng households have one of the highest electricity consumption profiles. ECO2 showed the highest energy demand in all the five energy demand scenarios. This is due to the fact that the share of high income households in ECO2 was very high, compared to the other two economic scenarios. The favourable energy demand scenarios will be the Energy Efficiency and MEPS scenarios due to their ability to reduce more energy demand than other scenarios in all the three economic scenarios.


2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872097514
Author(s):  
AbdulRahman S Almushaikah ◽  
Radwan A Almasri

Lately, with the growth in energy consumption worldwide to support global efforts to improve the climate, developing nations have to take significant measures. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) implemented meaningful policy actions towards promoting energy efficiency (EE) in several sectors, especially in the building sector, to be more sustainable. In this paper, various EE measures and solar energy prospects are investigated for the residential sector, in two locations in the middle region of the KSA. An energy performance analysis of pre-existing residential buildings with an overall design is performed using simulation programs. However, installing EE measures in the building envelope is important to achieve an efficient sector regarding its energy consumption. The findings showed that applying EE measures for the building envelope, walls, roof, and windows should be considered first that makes the energy conservation possible. In Riyadh, EE measures are responsible for reducing energy consumption by 27% for walls, 14% for roof, and 6% for window, and by 29%, 13%, and 6% for walls, roof, and windows, respectively, for Qassim. However, the most impactful EE solution was selecting a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system with a high energy efficiency rate (EER), which can minimize the energy consumption by 33% and 32% for Riyadh and Qassim, respectively. The study's feasibility showed that the number of years needed to offset the initial investment for a proposed roof PV system exceeds the project's life, if the energy produced is exported to the grid at the official export tariff of 0.019 $/kWh. However, the simple payback time was 13.42 years if the energy produced is exported to the grid at a rate of 0.048 $/kWh, reflecting the project's economic feasibility.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3699
Author(s):  
Domenico Curto ◽  
Andrea Guercio ◽  
Vincenzo Franzitta

In order to limit the anthropic emissions of CO2, research is currently investigating new materials for the building sector. The main purpose is the reduction in the embodied energy consumption, especially in the residential sector, and consequently the limitation of the direct and indirect utilization of fossil fuels, for the indoor heating, cooling, and ventilation services. Indeed, the residential sector is affected by a high energy demand, thus the choice of improved materials is fundamental to improve the sustainability. All phases: construction, building life, and dismantling are impacting in terms of resource and energy consumption, both associated with the emissions of pollutants in the atmosphere. The aim of this experimental research is to study the thermal insulation and the acoustic absorption of a material composed by natural lime, water, and shives from sativa hemp, a variety of hemp usable for industrial applications. In order to assess the main characteristics of this material, some specimens have been made according to required shapes and sizes to test them in specific machines. The results obtained from the tests are compared with the values of similar lime-based materials already available on the market. The comparison shows how, in certain aspects, the lime and hemp shives materials represent a concrete alternative to conventional materials. This completely natural material would like to achieve thermal and acoustic comfort in indoor environments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad AlHashmi ◽  
Gyan Chhipi-Shrestha ◽  
Rajeev Ruparathna ◽  
Kh Md Nahiduzzaman ◽  
Kasun Hewage ◽  
...  

The residential sector consumes about 50% of the electricity produced from fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia. The residential energy demand is increasing. Moreover, a simple building energy performance assessment framework is not available for hot arid developing countries. This research proposes an energy performance assessment framework for residential buildings in hot and arid regions, which focuses on three performance criteria: operational energy, GHG emissions, and cost. The proposed framework has been applied to three types of residential buildings, i.e., detached, attached, and low-rise apartments, in five geographical regions of Saudi Arabia. Design Builder® was used to simulate the energy demand in buildings over a whole year. Four types of efficiency improvement interventions, including double-glazed windowpanes, triple-glazed windowpanes, LED lighting, and split air conditioners, were introduced in 12 combinations. Overall, 180 simulations were performed which are based on 12 intervention combinations, three building types, and five regions. Three performance criteria were evaluated for each simulation and then aggregated using a multi-criteria decision analysis method to identify the best intervention strategy for a given building type and a geographical region in Saudi Arabia. Each building type with interventions consumes higher energy in the western, central, and eastern regions and consumes a lesser amount of energy in the southern and northern regions. The proposed framework is helpful for long-term planning of the residential sector.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Hassan ◽  
R. M. Zin ◽  
M. Z. Abd Majid ◽  
S. Balubaid ◽  
M. R. Hainin

Buildings consume up to 40% of the total global energy. By the year 2030, the consumption is expected to increase to 50%. In Malaysia, buildings consume a total of 48% of the electricity generated in the country. Commercial buildings consume up to 38,645 Giga watts (GWh) while Residential buildings consume 24,709 Gwh. Demand for electricity in the country is expected to rise from 91,539 GWh in the year 2007 to 108,732 GWh in 2011. By the year 2020, the energy demand in Malaysia is expected to reach 116 Million tons of oil equivalents (Mtoe). Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the country has increased by 221% ,which lists the nation at 26th among the top 30 greenhouse gas emitters in the world.  Literature studies indicate more than 50% of this energy is used in buildings for occupants comfort (air conditioning and refrigeration). Energy consumptions by residential occupants can be minimized if energy usage is considered. This paper aimed at reviewing some literatures on energy consumption in the residential buildings in Malaysia and suggests ways of improving the energy usage by the occupants.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Felimban ◽  
Alejandro Prieto ◽  
Ulrich Knaack ◽  
Tillmann Klein ◽  
Yasser Qaffas

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), residential buildings’ energy consumption accounts for almost 50% of the building stock electricity consumption. The electricity generation consumes over one-third of the daily oil production. KSA was ranked as one of the highest countries in fossil fuel consumption per capita in 2014. Moreover, the KSA’s economy heavily relies on fossil fuel sources, namely oil reservoirs, whereby depletion will negatively affect the future development of the country. The total electricity consumption is annually growing by approximately 5-8%, which would lead to identical oil consumption to oil production in 2035. Currently, the KSA government is concerned to generate more renewable energy using large renewable energy plants. The government is investing in energy generation through renewable sources, by financing large scale photovoltaic farms to stop an economic crisis that may occur in 2035. The existing building stock consumes around 80% of the total current Saudi electricity that is generated. According to the Saudi energy efficiency report, the primary energy consumption per capita is over three times higher than the world average. Therefore, the residential buildings need further assessment as to 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 showed: • The buildings thermal properties were found to be poorly designed • The majority of users within the buildings prefer a room temperature of below 24 °C, which requires a massive amount of cooling • Due to the climate conditions and the cultural aspects of KSA, housing units are occupied for more than 18 hours per day • An increase in user awareness has helped to slightly improve residential buildings energy efficiency Knowing the current high energy consumption sources and causes and being able to define available opportunities for further developments on building thermal properties enhancements and how to increase user awareness to reach self-sustaining buildings is essential.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiaoxia Yang ◽  
Meng Liu ◽  
Chang Shu ◽  
Daniel Mmereki ◽  
Md. Uzzal Hossain ◽  
...  

In order to assess the optimal window-wall ratio and the proper glazing type in different air conditioning system operation modes of residential buildings for each orientation in three typical cities in hot summer and cold winter zone: Chongqing, Shanghai, and Wuhan simulation models were built and analyzed using Designer’s Simulation Toolkit (DeST). The study analyzed the variation of annual heating energy demand, annual cooling energy demand, and the annual total energy consumption in different conditions, including different orientations, patterns of utilization of air conditioning system, window-wall ratio, and types of windows. The results show that the total energy consumption increased when the window-wall ratio is also increased. It appears more obvious when the window orientation is east or west. Furthermore, in terms of energy efficiency, low-emissivity (Low-E) glass performs better than hollow glass. From this study, it can be concluded that the influence and sensitivity of window-wall ratio on the total energy consumption are related to the operation mode of air conditioning system, the orientation of outside window, and the glazing types of window. The influence of the factors can be regarded as reference mode for the window-wall ratio when designing residential buildings.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Cadelano ◽  
Francesco Cicolin ◽  
Giuseppe Emmi ◽  
Giulia Mezzasalma ◽  
Davide Poletto ◽  
...  

Museums are major energy consumers amongst buildings, especially if they are housed in historical constructions. Museums usually present high energy demand for the air-conditioning due to their architectonical and structural characteristics, such as the presence of large exhibition rooms and open spaces. At the same time, temperature and humidity have to be strictly controlled in order to assure proper microclimate conditions for the conservation of the housed collections and adequate thermal comfort for visitors and personnel. Moreover, despite being subjected to architectural protection that limits most structural refurbishment interventions, these buildings must be adequate from an energy point of view to allow their reuse or continuity of use according to current quality standards, while retaining their heritage significance. In this awkward context, ground source heat pump working with high temperature terminals is proposed as a viable refurbishment solution. The use of shallow geothermal systems can improve the energy efficiency of the heating ventilation air-conditioning systems and, at the same time, increases the renewable energy source exploitation without affecting the indoor environmental conditions. However, after the interventions, the expected benefits and the sought-after limitation of energy consumption/cost may not occur for different reasons. In fact, even if the installed solution is working perfectly and properly designed, every effort will be in vain if adequate attention is not paid to the management of the plants during the operational phase. This document is meant to evaluate and compare the magnitude that invasive (i.e., technical interventions) and not invasive (i.e., energy management policies) actions respectively and their combined interaction, have on a museum. Through energy simulations it has been possible to quantify the effects that different interventions and energy management strategies had on an existing museum housed in an historical building, from energy consumption, energy costs and CO2 emission standpoints.


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