Abstract
Saudi Arabia is experiencing a rapid growth in the demand for energy and residential buildings. The residential sector alone is responsible for over 50% of the total national electricity consumption. The energy supplies in Saudi Arabia are completely reliant on fossil fuels that are regarded to be the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. In order to promote sustainable development it is vital for Saudi Arabia to reduce the usage of fossil fuels. The country is yet to meaningfully explore the renewable energy recourses. Public perception is a key factor in the take-up of renewable energy in any society. Given the importance of the residential sector in the energy scenario of Saudi Arabia, the presented work aimed to investigate the acceptability of renewable energy systems (RESs) amongst the domestic users through a questionnaire based survey. It covered three RESs including solar photovoltaic (PV), micro-wind turbines and solar water heaters. The results revealed that, solar PV is the most preferred choice. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.