Energy efficient appliances and insulated houses can save power

Uninsulated buildings, cars and industrial activity consume 90 percent of the energy produced in Saudi Arabia, an expert from the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) said recently.
Speaking at a workshop at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hakam Adel Zammo, an engineer, said that the SEEC has been working since 2012 to address energy consumption in these three areas.
The workshop looked at ways to ensure that the government, community and private sector work together to reduce energy costs in the country.
One of the measures involves the thermal insulation of buildings in conjunction with the use of energy-efficient air conditioners across the country. “We started applying the new specifications for air conditioners in September 2013, with the second phase to begin in January 2015.”
He said there are now specifications approved by the government for refrigerators, freezers and washing machines, which would also be introduced in January 2015.
The initiative would soon extend to all forms of household lighting. Specifications are being developed with local and international manufacturers, suppliers and regulatory bodies, he said.
He said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has issued a list of penalties for engineering offices that do not comply with the regulations.
These penalties include initial warnings for five infractions, a final warning for 10 violations, a six-month trading suspension for 15 violations, and 12 months for any further violation. There would be a 24-month ban on trading for any firm which commits seven violations after receiving a 12-month ban.
Zammo said thermal insulation has been introduced in some cities but would soon become mandatory across the country. The savings from insulation is in the region of 30 to 40 percent of the electricity consumption of air conditioners. He said it was not expensive to introduce thermal insulation in a building’s walls and ceilings.