Investigation on the impact of using date palm fibre for thermal insulation in residential buildings in Jeddah

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, residential buildings consume about half of the national electricity (Felimban et al., 2019), primarily because extreme heat drives air conditioning. Rapid population growth, now 33.48 million and rising about 2.5 percent annually, intensifies demand. To curb use, the Saudi Residential Buildings’ Envelope Code (2020) augments the Saudi Building Code. Vision 2030 targets 52 percent homeownership, implying over one million new homes (Ministry of Housing, 2018), which heightens the need for efficient sustainable materials. Evidence also shows that common construction products often miss environmental and sustainability benchmarks, inflating operational energy. This study evaluates date palm fibre, a local waste resource, as thermal insulation for future Jeddah housing compliant with the Saudi Building Code. Palm fibre is benchmarked against rock wool, polyurethane, and polystyrene, with emphasis on thermal conductivity and whole building energy outcomes. Methods comprised three steps: processing date palm fibre into insulation specimens, laboratory measurement of thermal properties, and DesignBuilder simulations of a representative Jeddah dwelling. Measured conductivity for palm fibre was 0.05 W/m K, compared with 0.03 W/m K for typical commercial products. Simulations showed thickness is decisive: ten-to-fifteen-centimetre layers yielded the largest cooling and heating load reductions. A fifteen-centimeter palm fibre layer aligned with recent Saudi guidance on insulation thickness and delivered the best building level thermal performance with notable electricity savings. Beyond performance, using this renewable locally abundant waste advances Vision 2030 goals and resource efficiency. Although polyurethane and polystyrene achieve slightly lower conductivities, they impose higher environmental burdens through embodied carbon and limited end of life options. Palm fibre by contrast is economical due to low cost feedstock and biodegradability. We conclude that palm fibre insulation is technically viable and environmentally advantageous for residential projects in hot climates comparable to Jeddah. Integrating natural materials with simulation driven design can accelerate sustainable urban development while moderating Saudi Arabia’s rising electricity demand.