The purpose of this comprehensive study was to explore the principal determinants of six residential indoor water end-use consumption categories at the household scale (i.e. namely clothes washer, shower, toilet, tap, dishwasher, and bath), and to find an overarching research design and approach for building a residential indoor water end-use demand forecasting model. A mixed method research design was followed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from 210 households with a total of 557 occupants located in SEQ, Australia, utilising high resolution smart water metering technology, questionnaire surveys, diaries, and household water stock inventory audits. The principal determinants, main drivers, and predictors of residential indoor water consumption for each end-use category were revealed, and forecasting models were developed this study. This was achieved utilising an array of statistical techniques for each of the six end-use consumption categories. Cluster analysis and dummy coding were used to prepare the data for analysis and modelling. Subsequently, independent t-test and independent one-way ANOVA extended into a series of bootstrapped regression models were used to explore the principal determinants of consumption. Successively, a series of Pearson's Chi-Square tests was used to reveal the main drivers of higher water consumption and to determine alternative sets of consumption predictors. Lastly, independent factorial ANOVA extended into a series of bootstrapped multiple regression models was used for the development of alternative forecasting models. Key findings showed that the usage physical characteristics and the demographic and household makeup characteristics are the most significant determinants of all six end-use consumption categories. Further, the appliances/fixtures physical characteristics are significant determinants of all end-use consumption categories except the bath end-use category. Moreover, the socio-demographic characteristics are significant determinants of all end-use consumption categories except the tap and toilet end-use categories. Results also demonstrated that the main drivers of higher end-use water consumption were households with higher frequency and/or longer end-use events which are most likely to be those larger family households with teenagers and children, with higher income, predominantly working occupants, and/or higher educational level. Moreover, a total of 14 forecasting model alternatives for all six end-use consumption categories, as well as three total indoor bottom-up forecasting model alternatives were developed in this study. All of the developed forecasting model alternatives demonstrated strong statistical power, significance of fit, met the generalisation statistical criteria, and were cross-validated utilising an independent validation data set. The paper concludes with a discussion on the most significant determinants, drivers and predictors of water end-use consumption, and outlines the key implications of the research to enhanced urban water planning and policy design.Griffith Sciences, Griffith School of EngineeringFull Tex

The purpose of this research study is to reveal the current status of and the willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The main contribution of this work is the revealed levels of background knowledge presented on six types of renewable technologies, as well as five willingness perspectives on adoption by different sociodemographics. This was achieved following a quantitative research study to randomly collect cross-sectional data from 416 participants using a carefully designed questionnaire survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data. Results of the study provided and ranked the background knowledge of participants’ viewpoints on six renewable energy sources. It was revealed that education is paramount in increasing the level of awareness of renewable energy technologies. The results also ranked the five willingness perspectives to adopting renewable energy technologies. It was revealed that the economic factor is the main factor influencing the willingness to adoption. The analysis also showed that age was an important factor influencing the adoption of these technologies. This research study acts as a guide assisting energy policy-makers, government agencies, and investors in designing better-targeted public awareness and marketing campaigns on renewable energy technologies. This is in turn will assist in achieving the energy efficiency and production targets of Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia.

This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the Saudi Stock Market. The objective is to provide investors and stakeholders with a robust evaluation methodology to inform their investment decisions. With a market value of USD 2.89 trillion dollars in September 2022, the Saudi Stock Market is of significant importance for the country’s economy. However, navigating the complexities of stock market performance poses investment challenges. This study employs the best–worst method and the technique for order preference by similarity to identify an ideal solution to address these challenges. Utilizing data from the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul), this study evaluates stock performance based on financial criteria, including return on equity, return on assets, net profit margin, and asset turnover. The findings reveal valuable insights, particularly in the banking sector, which exhibited the highest net profit margin ratios among sectors. The hybrid multicriteria decision-making-based approach enhances investment decisions. This research provides a foundation for future investigations, facilitating a deeper exploration and analysis of additional aspects of the Saudi Stock Market’s performance. The developed methodology and findings have implications for investors and stakeholders, aiding their investment decisions and maximizing returns.

Renewable energy has become an important element of today’s modern technology targeting high-efficiency energy production. As part of its 2030 Vision, Saudi Arabia is aiming to increase its energy production through renewable sources. The purpose of this research study is to explore the factors affecting public willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies in the western region of Saudi Arabia. This was achieved through an extensive literature review of previous studies conducted worldwide and resulted in the extraction of 19 factors that affect public willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies. Following a quantitative research design, random cross-sectional data of 416 participants using the extracted factors were collected via an online questionnaire survey. Following a dimension reduction statistical approach, key components were extracted with exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis. Five main components clustering the 19 extracted factors were revealed: cost and government regulations and policies, public awareness and local market, environment and public infrastructure, residential building, and renewable energy technology systems. The implications of this research study assist in guiding governments, regulations and policy makers, marketing agencies, and investors to better understand the concerns and enablers of renewable energy technologies adoption from the public perspective.