Understanding energy demand in Kuwaiti villas: Findings from a quantitative household survey

Abstract

Residential buildings in Kuwait account for almost 60% of the country's national electrical power generated, considerably greater than all other sectors or building types. This paper identifies key drivers of energy use in Kuwaiti villas based on a survey of 250 households undertaken throughout the six districts of Kuwait. The survey consists of a cross-sectional interviewer-administered questionnaire designed to gather detailed information about building physical characteristics, occupants’ socio-demographic background and energy-use behaviours. Survey data is analysed using both statistical descriptive methods and multiple linear regression analysis to identify key determinants of energy consumption in a sample of Kuwaiti villas. Analysis indicates that an occupant driven cooling behaviour (air-conditioning thermostat temperature set points) is the major driver of energy use, followed by the number of rooms and the number of occupants. Together, such drivers significantly explain 32% of the variability in energy consumption Survey findings provide descriptive information about Kuwaiti households and insights into the key drivers of energy use to better inform further research and policy interventions in this field.