The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has stressed that installing thermal insulation in all buildings in major cities, including residential and commercial structures, to reduce electricity consumption is mandatory. Directives issued by the mayoralties, agencies and general administrations in the ministry aim to urge citizens to use insulation to boost comfort and reduce energy consumption. The ministry's Agency for Technical Affairs prepared a bulletin that provides information about insulation. The bulletin relates the advantages of using different types of insulation and their properties, advice for selecting insulation and important factors to consider when installing it. The ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs instructed its branches to reject plans for multistory government and commercial-investment buildings or issue construction-clearance documents if they do not specify which type of insulation will be used. The Ministry stressed that there is a need to scrutinize architectural plans for buildings and discourage designs that lead to high power consumption or that do not conform to the architectural style suitable to the Kingdom's climate. Advantages of using insulation include reduced usage of electricity for cooling and heating and keeping the building at a suitable temperature without the need of turning on air-conditioners. Thermal insulation also protects buildings from climate change and weather fluctuations that lead to thermal fatigue and cause outer surfaces to lose their natural and mechanical properties, which cause cracking in buildings' facades.
