A state-of-the-art review of the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings in Saudi Arabia

Sustainable buildings have an important role in achieving sustainable development by improving energy utilization and environmental performance. Buildings are considered as the biggest single contributor to world energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Saudi Arabia, the significance of the building sector can be described on the basis of per capita electricity consumption, per capita carbon dioxide emissions, and the increasing number of buildings because of economic and population growth. Therefore, the country should consider establishing energy-efficient buildings to promote sustainable development. Efforts in developing energy-efficient technologies should increase for the national energy policy. This article comprehensively describes the current challenges and opportunities of energy consumption and various energy conservation options that are viable for the Saudi building sector. Current policy efforts for improving energy efficiency in Saudi buildings have been analyzed to enhance the sustainable development in the country. The study reveals that the energy conservation policy of the country has fairly improved in the past decades. However, the country has to focus on this area and perform urgent measures to adopt energy-efficient technologies in the building sector.