Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb (3rd from right) is shown a model of thermally insulated buildings during the opening of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Forum and Exhibition 2014, being held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The government has announced that it would soon make it mandatory for buildings to have thermal insulation in 24 major cities to save on rising energy costs.

Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb made the announcement on Tuesday at the opening of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Forum and Exhibition 2014, being held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The 24 cities account for 80 percent of the Kingdom’s population, he said. Prince Mansour said 70 percent of residential buildings in the country lack thermal insulation.

The two-day event was organized by the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency (SCEE) of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in collaboration with several government agencies.

Commending the services of the SCEE, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, assistant minister of petroleum and mineral resources, said: “Thermal insulation will rationalize the consumption of energy and bring many benefits to the country and its citizens.”

The forum is an attempt by the government to control and rationalize energy consumption in the Kingdom and raise efficiency in buildings, transportation and industrial sectors, which comprise 90 percent of local energy usage.

KACST President Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel said that the SCEE, which functions under the aegis of KACST, has played a significant role in conserving energy in the country.

The minister honored the companies sponsoring the event including Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electricity Company and Al-Zamil Group.

Arab News reported previously that Saudi consumption of electricity rose by 3 percent in 2011 and 9 percent in 2012. The housing sector consumed 50 percent of the Kingdom’s total electricity production.

[flagallery gid=36]

 
[wpResize]