Building energy performance simulation: a case study of modelling an existing residential building in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Saudi Arabia, like many other developing countries, has had extensive experience with rapid urbanisation and infrastructure expansion, especially in the area of buildings. Buildings play an even bigger part, accounting for roughly 80% of total national electricity consumption. Forecasts indicate that domestic energy consumption will rise at a rate of 4% to 5% annually by 2030, based on current local energy consumption patterns. A significant portion of this energy consumption growth results from the inefficient use of energy, and absence of coordinated enforcement and stakeholder engagement. This paper presents results of a study performed to propose potential energy-saving and CO2 reduction techniques for residential buildings in hot climates, by critically examining an existing and recent building types. A model was designed using computer-based simulation software, DesignBuilder (DB), and the energy performance was then validated against the actual collected data. Building related parameters that make the construction systems behave differently in terms of energy efficiency were analysed. Additional simulations were run with the chosen building’s shape, fabric, and user behaviour. Thermal insulation in the walls and roof can save about 45% in overall energy consumption, and when combined with other energy efficiency measures, a substantial reduction of 67% can be achieved, according to the findings. In the residential sector, improvements in building energy efficiency were obtained from the perspectives of both technological capacity and initiative energy conservation consciousness.