Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Forecasting the Benefits of Nationwide Home Energy Efficiency Improvements on NHS and Social Care Budgets by 2040 in UK(Saudi Digital Library, 2024-08-27) Alkhathami, Saleh; Yaghi, AbdallahHealthcare and social care expenditures in the UK have risen significantly due to factors such as an aging population, advancements in medical technology, and the increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses. This study explores the intricate relationships between household energy efficiency, health outcomes, socioeconomic conditions, and social care needs. Using advanced statistical techniques, including time-series analysis and ARIMA modeling, the research forecasts the financial benefits of nationwide home energy efficiency improvements on NHS and social care budgets by 2040. The analysis reveals key trends, such as reduced electricity usage, stable gas demand, and the impact of energy efficiency measures on respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. The findings demonstrate the potential for significant cost savings and quality-of-life improvements, providing a robust foundation for policymaking and resource allocation. This study highlights the importance of sustainable practices in reducing public sector spending and advancing environmental and public health goals.6 0Item Restricted Development and Characterization of Gypsum Plaster Composite Incorporated with Sheep Wool(University of Strathclyde, 2025-05) Gah, Saleh; Sillars, FionaThis study aimed to develop and characterize a sustainable gypsum plaster composite incorporating sheep wool fibers to enhance thermal insulation properties while maintaining adequate mechanical performance. Samples with varying sheep wool concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3% by weight) were prepared using a layering technique. Thermal properties were evaluated using a heat flow meter method following BS EN 12667:2001, while mechanical performance was assessed through three-point bending tests according to BS EN 13279-2:2014. Results demonstrated significant improvements in thermal insulation, with thermal conductivity reduced by up to 51% in the 2% wool composite (0.122 W/m·K) compared to the reference sample (0.246 W/m·K). However, flexural strength decreased with wool fiber addition, with reductions ranging from 45-54% across reinforced samples, though all maintained values above the minimum requirement of 1.0 MPa for building applications. Microstructural analysis revealed that 2% wool content represented an optimal balance between thermal and mechanical properties, as higher concentrations led to fiber agglomeration and clustering that negatively affected performance. This research contributes to sustainable construction by demonstrating that sheep wool, a renewable material, can effectively enhance the thermal insulation of gypsum plaster while maintaining structural integrity for building applications.7 0Item Restricted Interior Design Factors and Energy E ciency in Residential Apartments: A Simulation-based Analysis using IES-VE. Case Study: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia(University of Reading, 2024-09-26) Binzain, Afnan; Essah, Emmanuel; Jones, RoryThis study offers a comprehensive analysis of how interior design factors contribute to the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Jeddah. The motivation behind this research stems from two factors: the increasing energy demand driven by population growth and climate change challenges, and the need for proactive measures to reduce energy consumption in residential buildings. Despite its importance, particularly during the use phase, the role of interior design in energy efficiency is rarely addressed in the literature. Four standard apartments were selected as case studies, all located in the same seven-story building. The objective of this research is to evaluate how interior design parameters—specifically artificial lighting, daylight exposure, and color choices—impact energy efficiency. This analysis is conducted using detailed architectural modeling and simulation with IES-VE software. The results of this study show that incorporating the following interior design factors can lead to significant energy savings: (1) optimizing the quantity, quality, and distribution of artificial lighting, (2) ensuring sufficient daylight illuminance with the use of double-glazed windows and shading devices, and (3) choosing high reflectance color schemes. Implementing these strategies can reduce lighting energy consumption by 23 percent, and total energy consumption by 3.4 percent to 4.6 percent annually. However, these results depend on maintaining sufficient space between buildings to allow for adequate daylight, which may require policy consideration. Therefore, one of the key recommendations of this paper is to make real estate developers aware of the importance of interior design features during the design and construction phases. Additionally, ensuring appropriate building distances in new districts is crucial to optimize daylight use and foster a more sustainable environment .25 0Item Restricted Investigating Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings Through Residents’ Perspectives: A Case Study of Two Apartment buildings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia(Cardiff University, 2024) Almowalad, Hanyn; Mehmood, AbidExisting building stock in Saudi Arabia is a major contributor to energy consumption, with residential buildings alone consuming half of the electricity generated by the national grid. Notably, various studies have identified key contributors to high-energy consumption and retrofitting potentials in residential buildings. Most of the works have attempted to identify key contributors to high-energy consumption in residential buildings, as well as strategies and potential for energy saving retrofits. However, limited attention has been given to the social perspective, particularly in exploring energy efficiency from residents’ experiences to identify key factors influencing energy consumption and the challenges of optimising energy efficiency, particularly in apartment buildings, to gain a deeper understanding. This study employs a qualitative research method using a dual case study approach, focusing on two apartment buildings. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The study findings identify key factors influencing energy consumption in the investigated apartment buildings, including building characteristics such as exterior fabric, position, and unit design, as well as the high usage of air conditioning and essential home appliances like lighting and washing machines, the human’s energy-saving habits, and temporary residency. This study also identifies the potential for fabric upgrades, including insulation improvements, window replacements, and the integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels. However, these upgrades are hindered by significant challenges such as resident’s financial constraints, logistical barriers, and legal restrictions arising from the presence of multiple tenure types within the same building. The findings show that excluding existing residential buildings from energy conservation measures to retrofit, along with a lack of financial aid for upgrades and minimum standards for rentals, may result in continued high- energy consumption. This underscores the need to include existing buildings in policy reforms.15 0Item Restricted The Role of Green Buildings Practices in Achieving Sustainable Development(University of Birmingham, 2024) Alnafisah, Rayyana; Schacht, VeronikaThis dissertation aims to investigate the role of Green Building Practices (GBP) in promoting sustainable development by examining their environmental, economic, and social impacts. A systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) standards. Relevant literature was identified through a comprehensive search of academic databases, including ScienceDirect, Pub med, and Google Scholar, using predefined search terms related to GBP and sustainability. The screening process involved title and abstract reviews, followed by full-text analysis. Studies were included if they addressed GBP in the context of sustainability and reported on environmental, economic, or social outcomes. There were 25 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Data extraction and qualitative synthesis were performed, and themes related to GBP's contributions and challenges were identified. The analysis revealed that GBP substantially contribute to reducing environmental footprints through energy efficiency, resource conservation, and reduced carbon emissions. Economically, GBP present challenges related to high initial costs and limited incentives, particularly in developing regions. Socially, GBP improve occupants' health and well-being but face barriers in achieving equitable distribution of benefits. Despite these challenges, GBP offer superior long-term environmental and economic performance compared to conventional building practices. GBP significantly contribute to sustainable development, but their widespread adoption requires overcoming economic and policy barriers. The study emphasizes the need for integrated approaches that balance environmental, economic, and social dimensions to achieve sustainable outcomes. Further research is recommended to explore adaptive strategies for enhancing the accessibility and effectiveness of GBP across diverse geographic and economic contexts.37 0Item Restricted The Potential of Hybrid Cooling Strategies in Office Buildings to Enhance Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-14) Hafiz, Lujain; Kimba, LornaThe extremely high temperature in Saudi Arabia has resulted in significant energy consumption to satisfy indoor thermal comfort. The country is experiencing rapid development and growth in the construction sector with growing demands for office buildings, especially in major cities such as Jeddah. The current design and building trend of office buildings is dominated by highly glazed façade. Considering the harsh climate, there is no doubt that this type of building design has a high risk of overheating, leading to a further increase in energy consumption. A hybrid ventilation mode allows the building to switch from a mechanical system to natural ventilation, with which thermal comfort can be achieved. This study explores hybrid ventilation strategies and their potential to improve indoor thermal comfort with the aim of reducing buildings’ reliance on air conditioning. To carry out this dissertation, a case study approach is used to explore suitable measures via computer simulation tools. The proposed hybrid cooling approach will be compared against the conventional fully mechanical mode. According to the findings, 40% glazing with louvres and the double-glazed low-e window type with hybrid mode performed best, achieving about 28% energy savings compared with the building trend involving 100% glazing and a fully mechanical system.57 0Item Restricted Optimising the Energy Performance of the Residential Stock of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by Retrofit Measures(2023-07-13) Alosaimi, Azzam Hamed; Jones, BenjaminBuilding energy demands and green house gases are raising and a variety of energy efficiency frameworks, legislation, and housing approvals have evolved worldwide. The KSA is one of the largest energy producers and consumers internationally, with the residential sector using 52% of total energy generation. The KSA government has begun energy efficiency initiatives and policies that intend to reduce the residential energy demands via a series of regulations including Vision 2030 and the KSA building code. The regulations aim to assess the energy performance of residential buildings in order to lower the energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions to meet international carbon emissions requirements. The KSA targets to generate 9.5 GW from renewable energy by 2023, and 58.7 GW by 2030, which accounts for about 30% of the total energy generation capacity. Research has shown that in order to effectively reduce the energy demands and achieve worldwide carbon emissions targets, large-scale implementation interventions are required. The KSA housing stock consists of 3.6 million wide and varied residences due to various terrain. The diversity of the KSA dwellings encompasses housing type, age, amounts of rooms and bedrooms and flooring areas while common characteristics comprise construction materials and energy and cooking fuels. Therefore, this thesis develops housing archetypes that are representative of the KSA housing stock to be assessed and evaluated for the aim of reducing there energy demands and associated carbon emissions along with monthly running costs. The housing archetypes are used to quantify the housing energy performance and define the major sources of heat loss or gain. Two major reason for the high energy demands are solar radiation and heat gain due to infiltration. The infiltration occurs due to pressure differential across the thermal envelope. This is responsible for 40 TWh of lost energy from the housing stock, which accounts for 9.9 million MtCO2e. The research methodology applied an engineering bottom-up approach to quantify the energy performance of the KSA’s housing stock using EnergyPlus dynamic tool. EnergyPlus is a new generation modelling tool that incorporates the best features of two prior modelling tools: Building Load Analysis and System Thermodynamics (BLAST) and the Department of Energy (DOE–2). EnergyPlus is a free available tool and so allows data comparisons with international housing stocks. EnergyPlus was used to create the KSA’s housing energy baselines to predict the existing housing energy performance and to simulate various scenarios to reduce the total energy demands. The KSA housing energy demands can be optimised through a large-scale implementation of energy efficiency retrofitting schemes comprising 25 exterior thermal insulation types, eight exterior shading systems, and LED lighting systems and equipment, and the application of PV systems. This resulted in reducing the total KSA housing energy demands by 12.95 TWh/month, equivalent to 40% of the monthly housing energy use, and lowered associated carbon emissions by a total of 5.61 million MtCO2e/month, equivalent to 40% of monthly housing carbon emissions, and decreased the total housing stock cost about 72.39 million USD/month, equivalent to 50% of the total monthly cost.17 0