Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has experienced significant changes over the past few decades, leading to a notable increase in energy demand, especially in the residential sector. This presents an opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable solutions, such as energy-efficient technologies, to mee...
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| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/79954/ |
| _version_ | 1848801147821752320 |
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| author | Alkhalifah, Eman |
| author_facet | Alkhalifah, Eman |
| author_sort | Alkhalifah, Eman |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has experienced significant changes over the past few decades, leading to a notable increase in energy demand, especially in the residential sector. This presents an opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable solutions, such as energy-efficient technologies, to meet the country's growing energy needs. Saudi Arabia's rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrialization have made it a major energy consumer in the Middle East, with air conditioning loads accounting for approximately 50-60% of residential electricity consumption. With electricity demand rising by about 5–8% annually, oil production and consumption are expected to increase by 2035.
In response, the Kingdom has established the Saudi Energy Conservation Code (SBC-602) to promote energy-efficient practices and enhance construction sustainability. This study evaluates the impact of various energy-efficient measures on a typical residential building in Saudi Arabia, aligning with global sustainable development goals and Saudi vision 2030. Using the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IES-VE) simulation tool, the thermal performance of building envelope elements at three locations in Saudi Arabia was assessed. The methodology involved creating a detailed model of a typical residential building and simulating its energy performance under different retrofit scenarios. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted to evaluate the financial feasibility of the proposed solutions. The findings indicate that the optimal retrofit strategy can decrease peak electricity demand by nearly 60%. Specifically, retrofitting measures reduced energy consumption in Riyadh by 54%, leading to annual savings of $4,942.41. In Jeddah, energy consumption decreased by 57.6%, resulting in annual savings of $6,713.88, while in Dhahran, a 55.4% energy reduction led to savings of $5747.8 Integration of rooftop solar panels can further increase overall energy savings to 70% in each city, underscoring the additional benefits of renewable energy technologies.
Moreover, the study found that carbon emissions (CO₂) could be reduced by 77%, 74%, and 74.6% in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran, respectively, compared to base case buildings. These results highlight the importance of identifying optimal solutions to minimize energy consumption in building envelopes, promoting sustainable development, and reducing the environmental impact of residential buildings in Saudi Arabia. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:02:50Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-79954 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:02:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-799542025-02-28T12:28:01Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/79954/ Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building Alkhalifah, Eman The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has experienced significant changes over the past few decades, leading to a notable increase in energy demand, especially in the residential sector. This presents an opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable solutions, such as energy-efficient technologies, to meet the country's growing energy needs. Saudi Arabia's rapid population growth, urbanization, and industrialization have made it a major energy consumer in the Middle East, with air conditioning loads accounting for approximately 50-60% of residential electricity consumption. With electricity demand rising by about 5–8% annually, oil production and consumption are expected to increase by 2035. In response, the Kingdom has established the Saudi Energy Conservation Code (SBC-602) to promote energy-efficient practices and enhance construction sustainability. This study evaluates the impact of various energy-efficient measures on a typical residential building in Saudi Arabia, aligning with global sustainable development goals and Saudi vision 2030. Using the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IES-VE) simulation tool, the thermal performance of building envelope elements at three locations in Saudi Arabia was assessed. The methodology involved creating a detailed model of a typical residential building and simulating its energy performance under different retrofit scenarios. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted to evaluate the financial feasibility of the proposed solutions. The findings indicate that the optimal retrofit strategy can decrease peak electricity demand by nearly 60%. Specifically, retrofitting measures reduced energy consumption in Riyadh by 54%, leading to annual savings of $4,942.41. In Jeddah, energy consumption decreased by 57.6%, resulting in annual savings of $6,713.88, while in Dhahran, a 55.4% energy reduction led to savings of $5747.8 Integration of rooftop solar panels can further increase overall energy savings to 70% in each city, underscoring the additional benefits of renewable energy technologies. Moreover, the study found that carbon emissions (CO₂) could be reduced by 77%, 74%, and 74.6% in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran, respectively, compared to base case buildings. These results highlight the importance of identifying optimal solutions to minimize energy consumption in building envelopes, promoting sustainable development, and reducing the environmental impact of residential buildings in Saudi Arabia. 2024-12-10 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/79954/1/Eman%20Alkhalifah-Final%20corrected%20Thesis%202024.pdf Alkhalifah, Eman (2024) Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Saudi Arabia; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; energy demand; Saudi Energy Conservation Code; sustainability; energy efficiency; residential building; retrofit |
| spellingShingle | Saudi Arabia; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; energy demand; Saudi Energy Conservation Code; sustainability; energy efficiency; residential building; retrofit Alkhalifah, Eman Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title | Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title_full | Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title_fullStr | Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title_full_unstemmed | Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title_short | Holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of Saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| title_sort | holistic energy-efficient retrofit strategies in support of saudi building code: a path towards sustainable residential building |
| topic | Saudi Arabia; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; energy demand; Saudi Energy Conservation Code; sustainability; energy efficiency; residential building; retrofit |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/79954/ |