13

2. WHY EXISTING From an economic point of view, retrofitting ex-

isting buildings is more feasible than constructing
BUILDINGS & WHY THE new green ones [8]. Improved efficiency of the ex-

BUILDING ENVELOPE? isting building stock through sustainable retrofit-

ting measures represents a high-volume and low-
cost approach to reduce energy demand as well as
2.1. The Existing Building Stock
greenhouse gas emissions. Retrofitting an existing
building expands the building’s life cycle, thus the
Buildings do not have to be new to be efficient and sus-
building will be responsible for fewer GHG emis-
tainable. Today, many building owners around the globe
sions throughout its lifecycle [9].
are retrofitting their buildings, converting them into
models of sustainability. It is expected that most oppor-
Why retrofitting existing buildings in Jordan?
tunities to improve efficiency in the next decades will be
The energy performance levels of the Jordanian exist-
in existing buildings, as they represent the largest stock in
ing building stock are much lower than the require-
the building sector and most of them are constrained by
ments of the local Energy Efficient Building Code
aging infrastructure, inadequate operations resourc-
[9]. Although the Local Thermal Insulation Code has
es, inefficient performance, and old equipment [6].
been mandatory since 2009, people in Jordan used
to ignore it to avoid additional costs accompanying it
Current amount
resulting in having a large number of inefficient build-
retrofitting rates <1%
ings. Transforming the built environment in Jordan

of the existing building stock every year through a sustainable approach is a must towards

according to the Global Alliance for Building and Construction.

conserving water, energy, and other resources.

The Energy Retrofit approach will assist the country

retrofitting rates each year
must increase by 3% starting in 2017 to reduce energy usage in buildings, thus decrease
energy costs on a large scale and enhance Jordan’s
and should accelerate for every year of delay to achieve the
Paris agreement objective regarding climate change [7]. sustainable development.
14

The number of the annual licences

for construction projects in Jordan has increased by [10]
2.2. Energy Audit

46% for Existing Definition: It is a systematic approach to solve

Building’s projects problems and make decisions. The main goals of
an energy audit are qualifying and quantifying the
comparing the issued licences in 2007 and 2017, current performance of the building energy systems,
while for the same period, the potential for improving the performance, and
The number of the annual licences the outcomes of the improvements from the differ-
for construction projects has been decreased
ent point of views financially and non-financially.

33% for Completely

New Buildings Energy Audit is the first step to figure out the amount of
energy consumed in an existing building. The energy au-

This increase provides an opportunity to promote dit report of the current situation of the building’s energy

Energy Retrofitting as people are already going usage can identify the need for retrofitting as well as show

towards renovating existing buildings, adding to the opportunities the retrofitting strategies can provide.

them or reusing them for a different function.

Why? Goals of conducting
Table 2: Number of Annual Construction Licenses in Jordan
Source: Department of Statistics (DOS), 2018. http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_ Energy Audit:
home_a/main/linked-html/Bulding_indi.htm

YEAR The number of Licences given to To understand how energy is used in a

Construction Projects building and if it is wasted.
Type of license
To identify and analyse cost-effective
New Addition to Existing
Buildings Existing buildings buildings ways of using energy within a building.

2007 2283 147 7654 To perform economic analysis of the

available alternatives (identified in the
2012 2333 299 6352
previous step) and decide which ones
2017 1527 202 14368 are more cost-effective.
 15

Energy Audit can be performed any- Type of Audit Brief Description

When? time during the life-cycle of a build-
ing, preferably when there is a po-
tential for retrofitting or renovation. Level 1:
Brief on-site survey of the building
Energy Audit for existing buildings can be conduct- Savings and cost analysis of low-cost/no-cost
ed for two main cases: Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs)

A building that has the potential to a Identification of potential capital improve-

considerable reduction of its energy ments meriting further consideration
consumption.
Level 2:
A building that is already going through a More detailed building survey
renovation process, so conducting an en-
Breakdown of energy use
ergy audit would add value to the reno-
vation through transforming the building Savings and cost analysis of all Energy Conser-
into an energy efficient building. vation Measures (ECMs)
Identification of ECMs requiring more thorough
Levels of Energy Audits [11] data collection and analysis (Level 3)

As the complexity of energy audit increases, the

Level 3:
accuracy of site assessment increases as well as
Attention to capital-intensive projects identi-
the collection of more data and the outcome de-
fied during the Level 2 audit
tails in the final energy audit results. This effort
More detailed field analysis
would be reflected into a higher energy saving.
More rigorous engineering analysis
Type of Audit Cost and savings calculations with a high level
of accuracy

Level 1: Level 2: Level 3:

Walk-through Energy Survey Detailed Analysis
Analysis/ Pre- and Engineering of Capital-Intensive
liminary Audit Analysis Audit Modification Audits
16

What could be tested in an Energy Audit?

Testing the lighting system and the The diagram next shows the potential savings that
main appliances for energy efficiency. could be achieved when retrofitting the roof, exter-
nal walls and windows as well as installing external
Testing the Heating, Cooling and Ven- shading devices on the building’s Southern facade.
tilation Systems to identify efficiency These retrofitting strategies were examined on two
and combustion safety issues. cases, a residential and commercial building, in two
climate zones, Amman and Aqaba, and will be dis-
Water heating systems for energy cussed in details in the last chapter.
efficiency.

Testing the Building Envelope com-

ponents which include:

The Roof for thermal insulation

and general status.

External Walls for thermal insula-

tion and air leaks.

Doors and Windows for glazing

type, thermal characteristics, The Dutch Embassy in Jordan, the first building in Jordan to achieve the
international green building certification (LEED) in 2010.
weatherstripping, infiltration...Etc.