Official Opening of Energy Efficiency Demonstration House (AREE), Aqaba

Press Release

Announcement

The official opening of the AREE Demonstration House in Aqaba will be held on June 18, 2009, at 17.00, by invitation, under the patronage of His Excellency Engineer Hosni Abu Gheida, Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA). Afterwards, the house will be open to the public by appointment.

Background to the Project

Jordan’s energy needs are met mostly by expensive imports of oil and gas. To offset these, Government subsidies on the sales of fuel have been reduced, and rising energy costs are being passed on to Jordanian consumers. The cost of heating and cooling our houses is becoming a larger component of the average household budget, since most modern Jordanian homes are not designed with energy conservation in mind. Most houses are too cold in winter and become too hot in summer.

There are a number of straightforward ways in which a house can be made to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, but these simple techniques are rarely applied. In order to demonstrate and encourage better design and construction, a pilot project/experimental house has been built in Aqaba. Its purpose is to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of energy efficient design and construction techniques and installations for a typical residential building particularly in a hot, dry climate.

The AREE (Aqaba Residence Energy Efficiency) building was developed by the Tariq Emtairah (Emtairah Consulting Corporation), and designed by Florentine Visser, a Dutch architect based in Jordan. The design is one of the winning entries from the Aqaba Housing Competition, a design competition held in 2004 by the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE). The building accommodates 420 m² of residential space. The construction engineering was managed by Mohammad abu Afefeh in Aqaba.

Energy Efficient Design & Construction

The design focuses on reducing the electricity costs for cooling, by the following means: 

1. clever design – orientation, floor plan layout, careful architectural detailing, the use of architectural features and landscaping for shading, and the use of natural ventilation.

2. building technology, construction techniques and materials – improved construction detailing and the use of insulation in the walls and roof. 

3. new technologies – an experimental solar powered cooling system, based on adsorption cooling technology, evaporative cooling and possibly optional  photovoltaic (PV) panels for electricity generation. 

The residence also incorporates integrated water saving and recycling installations, including a greywater recycling system.

Cost Savings 

Computer simulations show that the annual electricity use of a typical building, built by traditional methods (the base case), would amount to 38,000 KWh. The AREE building aims to reduce this to 10,000 KWh, i.e. reducing the energy demand to around one quarter of a typical construction. This would reduce the annual heating and cooling bill from 6,000 JOD to 1,270 JOD for this type of high end residence.

The typical (base house) would cost around 93,000 JOD to build. Adding the energy efficiency improvements in the AREE case costs an extra 23,000 JOD, including costs for the design, energy efficient materials, and the solar cooling system. Calculations show that these additional investments will pay for themselves in around 5 - 6 years, depending on future energy prices. The AREE building also brings additional benefits including raising awareness on such integrated solutions and can be used as a showcase building to influence decision-makers, residents, developers, engineers, and contractors.  

Project Details

The building is situated in the 9th residential area of Aqaba. Construction began in early 2007 and was completed in June 2008.  The adsorption cooling system was installed in May 2009. 

As part of the project’s aim to be a demonstration showcase, the building will be open to the public during special events and upon appointment. 

The AREE building was selected as a Pilot Project by the EU-funded MED ENEC project, aimed at promoting energy efficiency for construction in the Mediterranean region.  

ASEZA is also patron of the project, and CSBE has assisted with dissemination of the performance and results.  

AREE also was selected as the Jordan National Project in the Globe Energy Award 2007. 

AREE is supported by Philips Lighting, who have provided energy efficiency lighting installations, and the National Energy Research Center (NERC), who are engaged with the monitoring of the solar cooling unit.

Updated information will be made available from time to time on this web site or at www.med-enec.com.  Also information about AREE can be obtained from: 

Tareq Emtairah: tareq.emtairah@iiiee.lu.se

or

Florentine Visser: florentine_jordan@yahoo.com

Download the English version of CSBE's energy efficiency booklet

(PDF file; 1 MB)

Download the Arabic version of CSBE's energy efficiency booklet

(PDF file; 4 MB)

View of the completed AREE building in Aqaba

View of the construction site of the AREE building

View of a 3D model of the AREE building