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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been in rapid growth in recent years, which resulted in an electricity consumption surge. The building sector consumes approximately 80 % of electricity, and air conditioners (A/Cs) are responsible for 50 % of that because of hot weather conditions. The dominant refrigerants in A/Cs are R22, a phase-out refrigerant yet used in old units, and R410A, which are supplied by different manufacturers and are sold at different prices. Refrigerant manufacturing is a complex process, and any deviation in the composition will have a direct impact on A/C performance. The present work aims to examine the quality of R22 and R410A refrigerants supplied from seven different manufacturers and imported to Saudi Arabia. System testing was conducted according to Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization cooling testing standards, and gas composition analysis was conducted using gas chromatography. Cooling load and coefficient of performance as well as the chemical composition of all seven refrigerants were tested and compared. Testing results have indicated that there is no cooling performance difference between different refrigerants manufacturers. Nevertheless, chemical composition testing showed slight differences between the tested refrigerants. In conclusion, refrigerants testing is recommended in order to maintain the quality of refrigerants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption patterns of residential building in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with specific reference to Qassim region are analysed to establish energy consumption indicators including consumption per dwelling, per capita and per unit area. The average shares of lighting, domestic appliances, water heaters and air conditioning out of total yearly consumption are determined to be 8.5%, 14.7%, 10.3% and 66.5%, respectively. Parametric analysis shows that residential energy consumption is insignificantly influenced by the type of building except that villas have somewhat higher consumption during the hot summer season. However, residential energy consumption is considerably affected by occupant behaviour, meteorological conditions, as well as the technical conditions of both building envelopes and air conditions setting temperature point. Energy efficiency measures are also discussed, and opportunities for energy saving are proposed. Potential energy savings up to 43% in air conditioning cooling load could be achieved by applying the KSA standard of envelope insulation. Total residential consumption savings of 3% could also be achieved by using efficient lighting and savings of 11.1% by adjusting the temperature setting point of air conditioners to 24 °C instead of 22 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]