The first forum and exhibition of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on thermal insulation in buildings will be launched on 27th of Dhu al-Hijjah in Riyadh to highlight the efforts and tasks carried out by the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program during the past period, within a coherent government system that aims to activate the application of thermal insulation requirements for residential buildings in 23 major cities in the Kingdom as a first phase in preparation for applying it to all cities of the Kingdom in a later period.

<The two-day forum and exhibition will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center under the patronage and presence of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, in addition to the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Water and Electricity Engineer Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Hussein, His Excellency the Minister of Housing Dr. Shuwaish bin Saud Al-Duwaihi, and His Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabeeah. The forum will also be attended by regional secretaries and their agents, major companies such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC and Saudi Electricity Company, as well as a large number of specialized officials and interested in the building sector in government agencies, engineering offices, real estate developers, contractors, and suppliers of thermal insulation materials for buildings.

The forum is organized by the Center for Thermal Insulation of Buildings. The forum is organized by the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in cooperation with a number of government agencies, namely the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Water and Electricity, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, the Saudi Institution of Engineers, the Saudi Electricity Company, the Council of Saudi Chambers, and the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

<The forum will include the presentation of various working papers and panel discussions on three main themes revolving around introducing the efforts and roles of the competent authorities in the commitment to apply thermal insulation to all new buildings, presenting a presentation of some projects in the application of thermal insulation for buildings, in addition to a review of some international experiences in the field of thermal insulation for buildings. The forum will be accompanied by a specialized exhibition in the field of thermal insulation with 35 pavilions that bring together government agencies involved in the application of thermal insulation and a number of other agencies that have efforts in the field of thermal insulation for buildings, as well as manufacturers and suppliers of thermal insulation materials in the Kingdom <The forum will be followed by workshops targeting engineering offices in the Kingdom, traveling to 18 major cities over two months, namely Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Medina, Yanbu, Dammam, Ahsa, Qatif, Hafar Al Batin, Buraidah, Hail, Skaka, Arar, Tabuk, Abha, Jizan, Al Baha, and Najran, during which a detailed presentation will be made on the application of thermal insulation in buildings. The workshops will provide a detailed presentation on the application of mandatory thermal insulation on residential buildings and the roles of the relevant authorities, and answer all the questions and inquiries of the attendees from engineering offices that will play an important and vital role in this aspect, as well as define their responsibilities in the mandatory application of thermal insulation in new buildings.

<It is noteworthy that the application of thermal insulation on new buildings will contribute to reducing waste in the consumption of electrical energy in the building sector significantly, as specialists emphasize the many benefits of thermal insulation that are felt by the user of the building, most notably maintaining a moderate temperature for a long time inside the building, which leads to a reduction in the periods of thermal insulation. This leads to reducing the periods of operation of air conditioning or heating devices for long periods of time, which is reflected in the consumption value in the electricity bill of the building, by reducing the consumption of air conditioners for electricity by about 30% to 40%, as well as providing better thermal comfort for the building user.

Thermal insulation also contributes to reducing the capital costs of building air conditioning systems by using lower capacities of air conditioners and system components, in addition to preserving building components and furniture from temperature fluctuations, thus reducing the operation and maintenance costs of the building and its contents.

Thermal insulation of buildings also contributes to reducing the capital costs of building air conditioning systems.