The use of air conditioners accounts for about 65% of residential electricity consumption in Saudi Arabia and cooling has been a big driver of the average 6% per year increase in buildings’ energy consumption in the Kingdom since 2010.

At the same time Saudi policy makers have committed to phasing out the use of oil as a fuel to generate electricity and the government is implementing a domestic energy price reform program which aims to increase efficiency, reduce waste and stimulate private sector investment in renewable power and other sustainable technologies.

The one-day workshop will focus on technological options and the behavioral economics of cooling and will be structured around four sessions:

• The importance of cooling and electricity transitions in Saudi Arabia
• Future trends in air conditioning technologies
• Towards a Living Lab for behavioral analysis of Saudi energy consumption
• Cooling as an energy service and business models moving behind the meter.