Beyond efficiency gains: Addressing the rebound effect in Saudi Arabian residential cooling

Abstract

As policymakers around the globe have been concerned about the increasing demand for energy, and hence the depletion of natural resources and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy efficiency (EE) has been one of the most effective strategies to curb the rising energy demand. One of the most common definitions of energy efficiency is using less resources (energy) to produce the same amount of output (services). The energy savings from adopting energy-efficient technologies can be estimated using engineering calculations. However, because of the behavioral response to improvements in energy efficiency, measuring the energy savings can become complicated. In this paper, we shed light on the rebound effect phenomenon and how it influences consumers’ behavior towards changes in their energy consumption. We focus on measuring the rebound effect from adopting more energy efficient cooling systems within the Saudi residential buildings sector, providing insights into the impacts on energy consumption and emissions and the implications for energy policymaking.