Modeling Energy Consumption of the Residential Sector in Algeria in the Long Term

In Algeria, the construction sector is the most energy-consuming sector, its consumption represents more than 41% of final consumption. This situation needs an urgent intervention in this sector in order to reduce the increase of energy consumption. One of the most efficient ways to reduce the rate of heat transmission and energy used for cooling and heating is the use of the appropriate thermal isolation in the building enclosure. In this paper, the methodology used was a combination of three phases to estimate the possibility of incorporating appropriate thermal insulation materials in existing buildings in Algeria during the period 2017–2059. Firstly, we analyzed the data on housing development in Algeria Using Microsoft Excel. Maps of the areas in the different regions of Algeria were then prepared according to population density and number of inhabitants using GIS software. The next phase in the methodology was to combine different types of insulating materials to assess the energy performance, thermal comfort of buildings and the calculation of annual energy consumption using numerical simulations with the TRNSYS software. Extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene and Glass wool were all selected as insulating materials that were integrated in the exterior wall of the buildings. The continuation of current trends in energy consumption until 2059 made it possible to draw a reference scenario. This approach was applied to study the effects of insulation on energy consumption and its short- and long-term projection in Algeria. The results of our study showed that with the integration of thermal insulation (glass wool) in the housing stock, its energy consumption was reduced in 2059 by up to 13.06%. The integration of extruded polystyrene reduces energy consumption by up to 36.18% while expanded polystyrene reduces energy consumption by up to 53,337%. Following this study, we have found that expanded polystyrene is the best insulator in terms of reduction of energy consumption and in economic terms.