This paper describes an analysis approach to assess water consumption attributed to electricity generation required to meet the demand for the entire Saudi residential building stock. In addition, the analysis aims at estimating the water consumption reduction due to cost-effective energy retrofit measures for the Saudi housing stock. The analysis estimated that the water consumed annually to generate electricity for the Saudi entire housing stock is 135 MCM representing almost 10% and 4% of the water used by the industrial sector. Moreover, it is found that both electricity generation need and associated water consumption can be reduced by 15.7% when lighting is retrofitted with low-energy fixtures and by 25.8% when high efficiency air conditioning systems are installed for all the existing Saudi housing stocks. For the housing stock located in the Central region with prevalent dry climates, replacing existing air conditioning by evaporative coolers can save 11.1 TWh/a (25.5%) in electricity consumption but increase the water consumption by 36.2 MCM/a (80.6%). A cost-benefit analysis of lighting retrofit is found to be highly cost-effective for both households and the government with payback periods of less than 1 year.

Fellow- Climate and Sustainability
Mohammad is a fellow in KAPSARC’s Climate & Sustainability program. His research focuses on energy efficiency in buildings, energy demand,…
Mohammad is a fellow in KAPSARC’s Climate & Sustainability program. His research focuses on energy efficiency in buildings, energy demand, and energy modeling. He is currently leading the Residential Energy Model (REEM), which simulates residential energy demand and estimates the impact of energy efficiency programs on Saudi Arabia’s housing sector. Mohammad holds an M.Sc. in Renewable and Clean Energy from the University of Dayton, Ohio, and an M.Sc. in Economics from Purdue University, West Lafayette.
Expertise
- Energy Efficiency
- Energy Demand
- Modeling
Publications See all Mohammad Aldubyan’s publications

Ground-Source Air Conditioning: A Potential Solution for Saudi Arabia’s Building Sector
This paper describes an analysis approach to assess water consumption attributed to electricity generation required…
8th April 2025
Ratifying the Kigali Amendment Challenges and Opportunities for Saudi Arabia
This paper describes an analysis approach to assess water consumption attributed to electricity generation required…
23rd January 2025