Long-term benefits and economic impact of Kuwait’s energy conservation code: A four-decade assessment

Abstract The building sector accounts for roughly one-third of global CO 2 emissions, necessitating effective policies. Energy conservation codes control power demand and reduce energy consumption in buildings, thus contributing significantly to economic and environmental benefits. This paper assesses the benefits of implementing Kuwait’s national energy conservation code, which has been in force since 1983. The code was jointly developed by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and the Ministry of Electricity & Water, addressing minimum insulation requirements in walls/roofs, limitation on glazing areas, and the cooling and lighting load per unit area. The code has helped curtail generation needs and energy demand nationwide. The paper also examines the national code implementation benefits by employing long-term national data generated by a consistent implementation for the residential sector and its periodic updates through macro-level/top-down analysis, revealing savings of 8GW (40% of the 2023 installed capacity) in power demand. Additional savings include nearly 3 million tons of cooling capacity, nearly 85 million barrels, and over 30 million tonnes of reduction in CO 2 emissions. This work further addresses today’s energy conservation code compliance level and outlines major challenges encountered in code adoption. In addition, it offers specific policy suggestions that improve compliance rates and ensure the continued effectiveness of the code over the long term. The policy recommendations target rebuilding regulatory frameworks, devising better monitoring mechanisms, and bringing governmental agencies together with various stakeholders and the public for a more sustainable energy future.