Only a quarter of buildings thermally insulated

Fahad Al-Husseini, a thermal insulation consultant, has revealed that only 25.4 percent of the Kingdom’s buildings are thermally insulated.
“Buildings that are constructed without thermal insulation waste power,” he said during the second Saudi Electricity Efficiency Forum, adding, “Thermal insulation can save up to 40 percent in electricity bills in air-conditioning and heating.”
Al-Husseini presented a study at the forum regarding the distribution of buildings without thermal insulation across the Kingdom, indicating that the Qassim region has the highest number of buildings without insulation, with 98.3 percent of the buildings constructed without taking into account means of reducing the transfer of thermal energy.
Jeddah ranked second, according to the study, with 87.5 percent of its buildings without thermal insulation, followed by the Eastern Province at 72.6 percent and Riyadh at 51.3 percent.
Officials announced last February that thermal insulation is compulsory for all buildings, including residential and commercial structures, asserting that violators will be deprived of access to power services, with the exception of old buildings.
Al-Husseini’s study, entitled “Mechanisms of Compulsory Thermal Insulation,” highlighted the fact that the country’s growth rates are higher than forecast, which will consequently lead to an increase in the demand for electricity power by 8 percent annually, while industrial countries register a 2-percent increase in demand for electricity.
“Thermal insulation will cut down electricity bills 40 percent, which will translate into preserving 18 percent of the Kingdom’s total power consumption,” he added.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by Fahad Al-Zamil, head of the subscription department at the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), discussed the issues faced by the company and its relations with other sectors.
The last paper presented at the forum was by Ahmad Momen, head of distribution network planning, which discussed changes in electrical distribution efforts on the international front.