A critical review of energy retrofitting trends in residential buildings with particular focus on the GCC countries

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews Vol. 144; p. 111000
• Main Authors: Ahmed, Wahhaj, Asif, Muhammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Buildings; Energy; Environment; GCC; Retrofit; Sustainability; Near Zero Energy Homes; Green Building Studio; Photovoltaic; Building Information Modelling; Energy; American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers; SBC; Sustainability; Gulf Cooperation Council; Middle East and North Africa; Building Energy Modelling; IECC; Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning; Buildings; GCC; United Arab Emirates; Light Emitting Diode; Carbon Dioxide; Integrated Design Process; Energy Efficiency Measures; Retrofit; International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol; Measurement and Verification; European Union; Environment; Energy Use Index
• ISSN: 1364-0321; 1879-0690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111000

The building sector is a major contributor towards climate change. Within it, almost a quarter of the global electricity is consumed in the residential sector. The case for residential sector in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries is even more critical as compared with the developed world. The per capita electricity usage in the GCC countries is among the highest globally. This indicates a necessity for these countries to improve the energy performance of buildings. Existing residential buildings make the bulk of the total building stock, and thus have a critical role in the overall performance of the building sector. It is, therefore, important for them to invest in the energy retrofitting of existing unsustainable residential buildings. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive critical review of literature of residential buildings' energy retrofitting trends in the GCC countries. An extensive keyword based search was carried out to identify the studies under the subject area in the region. A total of 40 relevant studies were accumulated which were then critically analysed and benchmarked against global retrofit studies’ trends to identify gaps in literature. It is observed that there is a lack of top-down and bottom-up physical approaches in energy retrofit studies. In addition, modern design and application tools, such as BIM, have not been applied in any study. Furthermore, no work presents a measured and verified case study of an implemented energy retrofitting project. Recommendations are also made for future studies to bridge the gap in existing literature. •A comprehensive review of literature on residential buildings' energy retrofitting trends in the GCC countries is presented.•40 relevant studies are analysed using four parameters: approach of study, pre- and post-retrofit M&V, number and type of EEMs, and software used.•Gaps in literature include lack of studies utilizing: top-down and bottom-up physical approaches, BIM-based frameworks, and M&V protocols.•Recommendation are made for future studies to bridge the gap in existing literature.