Evaluation of the total exergy and energy consumptions in residential sector in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Economic crises face a new foe worldwide, along with the fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is facing problems to sustain its role in international energy prospects due to unavoidable domestic challenges caused by a fast-growing population. The challenges are unemployment for the youngsters, two-thirds of the total population, and emerging demand for energy consumption at the domestic level at unsustainably high rates. Besides this, KSA spends a considerable amount, around 9% of the GDP, to subsidize the energy sectors (oil products and electricity). All these aspects call for a selective study to pinpoint the factors which can directly or indirectly influence to sustain the Saudi economy in the long run.To help cater to the growing demand for rigorous study on areas for energy rationalization in the Qassim region, the objectives of this work are to perform a thorough study of energy and exergy analysis of various electrical household appliances and exergy analysis of the residential sector (RS). In this study, an independent survey of 100 dwellings was conducted to collect data related to essential parameters of residential energy consumption. The collected data has been analyzed to determine energy consumption indicators and perform exergy analysis. The average monthly and yearly energy consumption per dwelling was between 30,832 to 36,166, and 1500 to 4500kWh, respectively. The average hourly electrical energy consumption during the working days was 4.12kWh, and during the curfew due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) 4kWh. The breakdown of this end-use of residential energy is mainly distributed for air conditioning, water heating, lighting, and all other domestic appliances with 67.34%, 9.31%, 8.18%, and 15.17%, respectively. The calculated total energy efficiency of 142.9% for KSA in this study showed a significant discrepancy compared to the previously reported value of 77.52%. Calculated total exergy efficiency falls between 11.13% and 11.38% for the Qassim region. Energy policymakers can use clear energy consumption indicators and exergy efficiency present in this study. They can help to establish energy efficiency standards to be used for various economic sectors.