• Focus Area -
  • Type KAPSARC journal article
  • Date 13 March 2021
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Abstract

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.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116767

Science Direct

Authors

Mohammad Aldubyan

Research Lead Mohammad is a research lead in KAPSARC’s Climate & Sustainability program. His research focuses on energy efficiency and energy demand…

Mohammad is a research lead in KAPSARC’s Climate & Sustainability program. His research focuses on energy efficiency and energy demand in buildings. 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. He also leads the long-term KAPSARC Oil Market Outlook (KOMO) in buildings and agriculture sectors.
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 in Buildings; Energy Demand; Energy Modeling

Publications See all Mohammad Aldubyan’s publications

Moncef Krarti

Moncef Krarti

Former Visiting Researcher Moncef was a visiting researcher with over 30 years of experience in designing, testing, and assessing innovative energy efficiency and… Moncef was a visiting researcher with over 30 years of experience in designing, testing, and assessing innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies applied to buildings. He is a professor and a coordinator of the Building Systems Program, Civil, Environment and Architectural Department at the University of Colorado.

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