IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2022i1p518-d1017815.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy and Water Saving Potential in Commercial Buildings: A Retrofit Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Wahhaj Ahmed

    (Architectural Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 855, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia)

  • Ayman Alazazmeh

    (Mechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 279, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia)

  • Muhammad Asif

    (Architectural Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 855, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
    Center for Renewable Energy and Power Systems, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 855, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

The global building sector has great potential for energy savings. Retrofitting of existing buildings can effectively improve their energy and environmental sustainability. However, retrofitting is a complex task and requires proper Measurement & Verification (M&V) to validate the process for various building types and locations. Such M&V studies for commercial buildings in the studied region are missing and a critical gap exists. This paper addresses this gap by discussing the effectiveness of retrofit energy and water efficiency measures implemented in a commercial building in Saudi Arabia. At first, a thorough energy audit is conducted and then five Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) and a water conservation measure is implemented. A post-retrofit M&V exercise is conducted to measure and validate the savings along with respective economic benefits. The results indicate that the implemented EEMs reduced the building’s annual energy consumption by 27%. The overall compound payback period for the investments is found to be six years. The study successfully validates the energy and water savings achievable through retrofitting by presenting the first M&V case study of a post-retrofit commercial building in the country. Thus, it proves that implementation of EEMs and water saving measures are effective strategies to retrofit commercial buildings in the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Wahhaj Ahmed & Ayman Alazazmeh & Muhammad Asif, 2022. "Energy and Water Saving Potential in Commercial Buildings: A Retrofit Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:518-:d:1017815
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/518/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/518/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jiang, Jingjing & Ye, Bin & Liu, Junguo, 2019. "Research on the peak of CO2 emissions in the developing world: Current progress and future prospect," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 186-203.
    2. Liu, Pei & Lin, Borong & Zhou, Hao & Wu, Xiaoying & Little, John C., 2020. "CO2 emissions from urban buildings at the city scale: System dynamic projections and potential mitigation policies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    3. Krarti, Moncef & Dubey, Kankana & Howarth, Nicholas, 2017. "Evaluation of building energy efficiency investment options for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 595-610.
    4. Ahmed, Wahhaj & Asif, Muhammad, 2021. "A critical review of energy retrofitting trends in residential buildings with particular focus on the GCC countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Ginestet, S. & Marchio, D., 2010. "Retro and on-going commissioning tool applied to an existing building: Operability and results of IPMVP," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 1717-1723.
    6. Krarti, Moncef & Aldubyan, Mohammad & Williams, Eric, 2020. "Residential building stock model for evaluating energy retrofit programs in Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    7. Qadir, M. & Sharma, B.R. & Bruggeman, A. & Choukr-Allah, R. & Karajeh, F., 2007. "Non-conventional water resources and opportunities for water augmentation to achieve food security in water scarce countries," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 2-22, January.
    8. Wahhaj Ahmed & Muhammad Asif & Farajallah Alrashed, 2019. "Application of Building Performance Simulation to Design Energy-Efficient Homes: Case Study from Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-16, October.
    9. Newsham, Guy R., 2019. "Measurement and verification of energy conservation measures using whole-building electricity data from four identical office towers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    10. Abdul Mujeebu, Muhammad & Alshamrani, Othman Subhi, 2016. "Prospects of energy conservation and management in buildings – The Saudi Arabian scenario versus global trends," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1647-1663.
    11. Taleb, Hanan M. & Sharples, Steve, 2011. "Developing sustainable residential buildings in Saudi Arabia: A case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 383-391, January.
    12. Fu, Hongxiang & Baltazar, Juan-Carlos & Claridge, David E., 2021. "Review of developments in whole-building statistical energy consumption models for commercial buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    13. Nejat, Payam & Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Gohari, Mohammad & Abd. Majid, Muhd Zaimi, 2015. "A global review of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and policy in the residential sector (with an overview of the top ten CO2 emitting countries)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 843-862.
    14. Asif, M., 2016. "Growth and sustainability trends in the buildings sector in the GCC region with particular reference to the KSA and UAE," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1267-1273.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ahmed, Wahhaj & Asif, Muhammad, 2021. "A critical review of energy retrofitting trends in residential buildings with particular focus on the GCC countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    2. Radwan A. Almasri & Abdullah A. Alardhi & Saad Dilshad, 2021. "Investigating the Impact of Integration the Saudi Code of Energy Conservation with the Solar PV Systems in Residential Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-30, March.
    3. Moncef Krarti, 2019. "Evaluation of Energy Efficiency Potential for the Building Sector in the Arab Region," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-45, November.
    4. Mohammad B. Hamida & Wahhaj Ahmed & Muhammad Asif & Faris Abdullah Almaziad, 2020. "Techno-Economic Assessment of Energy Retrofitting Educational Buildings: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Wahhaj Ahmed & Muhammad Asif & Farajallah Alrashed, 2019. "Application of Building Performance Simulation to Design Energy-Efficient Homes: Case Study from Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-16, October.
    6. Krarti, Moncef & Aldubyan, Mohammad, 2021. "Mitigation analysis of water consumption for power generation and air conditioning of residential buildings: Case study of Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    7. Mohammad S. M. Almulhim & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Chris D. F. Rogers, 2020. "A Resilience and Environmentally Sustainable Assessment Framework (RESAF) for Domestic Building Materials in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-24, April.
    8. Aldubyan, Mohammad & Krarti, Moncef, 2022. "Impact of stay home living on energy demand of residential buildings: Saudi Arabian case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).
    9. Duan, Haiyan & Chen, Siyan & Song, Junnian, 2022. "Characterizing regional building energy consumption under joint climatic and socioeconomic impacts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    10. Jawed Mustafa & Fahad Awjah Almehmadi & Saeed Alqaed & Mohsen Sharifpur, 2022. "Building a Sustainable Energy Community: Design and Integrate Variable Renewable Energy Systems for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-21, October.
    11. Belaïd, Fateh & Massié, Camille, 2023. "The viability of energy efficiency in facilitating Saudi Arabia's journey toward net-zero emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    12. Ahmad Taki & Bilal Alsheglawi, 2022. "Toward Energy-Efficient Houses Considering Social Cultural Needs in Bahrain: A New Framework Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-30, June.
    13. Mohammad AlHashmi & Gyan Chhipi-Shrestha & Rajeev Ruparathna & Kh Md Nahiduzzaman & Kasun Hewage & Rehan Sadiq, 2021. "Energy Performance Assessment Framework for Residential Buildings in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-25, February.
    14. Alhuwayil, Waleed Khalid & Abdul Mujeebu, Muhammad & Algarny, Ali Mohammed M., 2019. "Impact of external shading strategy on energy performance of multi-story hotel building in hot-humid climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 1166-1174.
    15. Jamal Al-Qawasmi & Muhammad Asif & Ahmed Abd El Fattah & Mohammad O. Babsail, 2019. "Water Efficiency and Management in Sustainable Building Rating Systems: Examining Variation in Criteria Usage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    16. Radwan A. Almasri & Nidal H. Abu-Hamdeh & Abdullah Alajlan & Yazeed Alresheedi, 2022. "Utilizing a Domestic Water Tank to Make the Air Conditioning System in Residential Buildings More Sustainable in Hot Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    17. Krarti, Moncef & Aldubyan, Mohammad & Williams, Eric, 2020. "Residential building stock model for evaluating energy retrofit programs in Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    18. Ashraf Balabel & Mamdooh Alwetaishi, 2021. "Towards Sustainable Residential Buildings in Saudi Arabia According to the Conceptual Framework of “Mostadam” Rating System and Vision 2030," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    19. Marlene Ofelia Sanchez-Escobar & Julieta Noguez & Jose Martin Molina-Espinosa & Rafael Lozano-Espinosa & Genoveva Vargas-Solar, 2021. "The Contribution of Bottom-Up Energy Models to Support Policy Design of Electricity End-Use Efficiency for Residential Buildings and the Residential Sector: A Systematic Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-28, October.
    20. Andrew Chapman & Timothy Fraser & Melanie Dennis, 2019. "Investigating Ties between Energy Policy and Social Equity Research: A Citation Network Analysis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-18, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:518-:d:1017815. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.