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Energy and environmental performance management in residential buildings : a case of hot arid regions AlHashmi, Mohammad Ali

Abstract

Globally the building sector is responsible for over 40% of primary energy consumption and up to 30% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is estimated that globally the average land and ocean surface temperature have increased by 0.85 °C [0.65 °C to 1.06 °C] from 1880 to 2012. The resulting climate change is causing a temperature rise and extreme climate events, shifting wildlife habitats, rising seas, and melting glaciers, which caused catastrophic human and infrastructure damages. In countries with hot and arid climates like Saudi Arabia, the total energy consumption is 345.1 TWh, which comprises a consumption of about half a million barrels of fuel oil per day, and 10.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The residential building energy consumption in the country is about 52% of fossil fuel production. However, in cold countries like Canada, the energy use demand grew slowly by 1.2% from 1990 to 2017 which is projected to grow by 0.2% from 2018 to 2040. The total projected energy use in Canada is around 1639 PJ by year 2040. The primary objective of this research is to develop the frameworks that can be used to improve energy efficiency, reduce GHG emissions, decrease the associated cost for residential buildings in hot and arid regions. The methodology consists of building energy modeling and simulations, validation, and the use of multicriteria decision analysis to aggregate three criteria, i.e., energy use, GHG emissions, and associated cost. This study developed three frameworks, one for comparing the building energy performance of hot and cold countries; and the second for enhancing building energy performance in hot and arid countries. Finally, it established a community-government partnership for low-carbon energy use in residential buildings for hot and arid regions. The frameworks were effectively applied to Saudi Arabia and Canada is used for comparison purposes. Based on findings, the best energy-saving options (retrofits) were identified and proposed for different residential building types in various geographical regions of Saudi Arabia. In addition, a community-government partnership model was proposed for developing clean energy use in residential buildings in the country. This research's findings and proposed frameworks can assist policy makers, planners, and engineers in developing low-carbon, energy-efficient, and cost-effective residential buildings in countries like Saudi Arabia.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International