Net zero energy buildings in Saudi Arabia’s residential sector: challenges, opportunities, and criteria identification

This paper investigates the challenges, opportunities, and locally relevant criteria for implementing net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in Saudi Arabia’s residential sector. This study combined five expert interviews with a survey of 43 practitioners to identify and validate a three-level hierarchy of NZEB criteria. The findings highlight the critical importance of thermal insulation, high-performance window systems, efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) design, and solar photovoltaics (PV) integration supported by energy monitoring and policy incentives. The novelty of this work lies in translating global NZEB concepts into Saudi-specific, decision-ready guidance for designers and policymakers, with potential applicability to other hot-arid regions worldwide.