Amman — Experts say reducing energy and fuel consumption in Jordan is no longer an issue that can be addressed through awareness campaigns or emergency measures during energy crises. Instead, it requires building a sustainable social culture in which efficient consumption becomes a daily behavior for individuals and institutions, alongside legislation and incentives that make conservation an economically viable choice whose impact can be measured and assessed.
They noted that energy conservation does not mean compromising living standards or reducing comfort. Rather, it means achieving the same level of services, comfort and productivity while using less energy, which can reduce consumption costs, support the national economy and protect the environment, while strengthening Jordan’s ability to cope with energy security challenges and fluctuations in fuel prices.
Experts stressed that moving from temporary awareness campaigns to an established culture requires coordinated efforts by families, schools, universities, the private sector and government institutions.
It also requires practical tools that allow consumers to measure the impact of their behavior on their bills, along with incentives encouraging investment in energy efficiency, so that conservation becomes a continuous practice rather than something associated with crises or rising prices.
Conservation Starts at Home and Is Reinforced by Education and Legislation
Dr. Ahmad Al-Salaymeh, a faculty member at the University of Jordan, said energy and fuel conservation cannot be reduced to awareness campaigns alone.
He said it requires building a firmly established social culture that begins with the family, extends to schools and universities, and eventually reaches institutions and companies, ensuring that conservation evolves from temporary awareness messages into an ingrained daily practice.
Al-Salaymeh stressed the importance of schools and universities playing their role by introducing courses and educational concepts that familiarize students with the importance of conserving energy, explain its economic and environmental implications and help establish responsible behavior toward resources.
Embedding these concepts throughout different stages of education would strengthen awareness of efficient consumption and make conservation part of people’s daily practices rather than an exceptional measure adopted when an energy crisis or fuel price increase occurs.
He also stressed the importance of providing incentives for individuals, companies and institutions to encourage energy conservation, alongside legislation establishing the necessary regulatory framework.
Awareness alone, he said, is insufficient unless it is supported by an integrated system of legislation, incentives and practical measures.
Government Example and Traffic Management Can Cut Fuel Use
Economic expert Dr. Qassem Al-Hammouri said energy conservation starts with setting an example, both at the household and government levels.
He stressed that the approach should cover all areas of consumption, from household energy use to resource management in government institutions.
Energy conservation should be a general practice involving individuals and the government alike, including the use of government vehicles and electricity and energy consumption in public institutions, particularly during periods when there is little or no activity, such as nighttime hours, he said.
Al-Hammouri highlighted the particular importance of energy conservation in Jordan, given the Kingdom’s reliance on imports for more than 95% of its energy needs.
This makes consumption efficiency an important factor in reducing the economic burden associated with dependence on external sources.
He said developing flexible and smart working-hour systems could help ease traffic congestion and consequently reduce fuel and vehicle use.
He stressed the importance of approaching conservation from a comprehensive perspective that extends beyond the energy sector to other areas of consumption and resource management.
Serious measures in this area could generate significant resource savings, allowing the funds saved to be redirected toward other economic and development priorities, Al-Hammouri said.
He warned that failing to take early measures to conserve electricity and fuel could lead to more complicated problems, eventually forcing the government to adopt more difficult measures, such as regulating vehicle movement according to specific patterns or cutting electricity during certain hours.
Financial and economic expert Dr. Mohammad Al-Hadab Al-Sarhan said energy conservation should not be linked to higher oil prices or supply crises.
Instead, it should become a permanent pattern of behavior for individuals and institutions.
He explained that, in economic terms, conservation does not mean reducing comfort or productivity, but obtaining the same service while using less energy.
Al-Sarhan said the importance of conservation is increasing in Jordan as the national energy strategy targets cumulative savings of 15% in consumption by 2035 compared with 2023.
Meanwhile, renewable energy accounted for around 26.3% of total electricity generation by the end of 2025.
He said the belief that individual consumption has no impact on the energy system is inaccurate, particularly because the household sector accounts for around 49% of electricity consumption in Jordan.
This makes household behavior an important factor affecting overall energy demand.
If households reduce electricity consumption by just 5% through more efficient use of air-conditioning and heating systems, lighting, water heaters and electrical appliances, this would mathematically represent around 2.45% of total electricity consumption across the system, assuming other factors remain unchanged.
Reducing loads during peak hours can also help ease pressure on the electricity system by reducing the need to meet high levels of demand simultaneously.
This further highlights the importance of managing consumption alongside efforts to improve energy efficiency and expand the contribution of renewable energy sources.
Smart Meters and Time-Based Tariffs Can Make Conservation Measurable
Al-Sarhan stressed that moving from awareness to a sustainable culture of energy conservation requires consumers to see the results of their behavior in numbers and know exactly how much they are saving when they change their consumption patterns.
In this context, he noted that the installation rate of smart meters in Jordan reached around 96% by the end of 2025.
He said this infrastructure provides opportunities to make broader use of electricity demand-management tools.
Expanding the use of time-based electricity tariffs could encourage consumers to shift some non-essential loads from peak hours to periods when pressure on the grid is lower.
This would help improve the distribution of demand and increase energy efficiency.
Making consumption data easily accessible and linking it to usage costs at different times would strengthen consumers’ ability to make more informed decisions, rather than relying solely on general messages urging conservation without explaining its direct financial impact.
According to Al-Sarhan, the success of these tools requires clear consumption information for subscribers and policies supported by incentives encouraging changes in consumption patterns.
This would turn energy efficiency into a practical economic choice whose results can be measured and monitored.
Industrial Sector Could Save JD12.5 Million Annually Through Efficiency
Al-Sarhan said evidence from the industrial sector confirms that energy efficiency is not merely a theoretical concept, but an economic opportunity whose returns can be measured through lower operating costs and more efficient use of resources.
He noted that energy audits conducted at 180 industrial facilities, involving more than 1,000 recommendations for improving energy efficiency, identified potential financial savings of around JD12.5 million annually against estimated investments of JD36.7 million.
The findings indicate that every dinar invested in energy-efficiency measures could generate a return of up to JD3.44, highlighting the economic potential of investments aimed at improving energy efficiency in industrial facilities.
These figures mean that conservation in factories should not be limited to asking workers to switch off lights when they are not needed.
Instead, it should begin with reviewing the efficiency of motors, boilers, cooling systems and compressed-air systems, followed by improving insulation and managing operating hours to reduce waste and production costs.
Managing energy consumption within industrial facilities requires a comprehensive technical assessment of consumption sources, identifying areas of waste and implementing appropriate measures to improve efficiency and achieve measurable savings.
In many cases, reducing energy bills can directly improve the competitiveness of Jordanian products, as lower operating costs reduce production expenses and give businesses greater scope to improve their economic performance and compete in markets.
JD152.9 Million in Cumulative Savings From Energy Programs
Al-Sarhan said Jordan has practical experience demonstrating that investment in energy efficiency and consumption conservation can generate tangible benefits for individuals and society.
He cited the results of programs implemented by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund between 2015 and 2025.
More than 2.2 million citizens benefited from these programs during that period, while cumulative savings on beneficiaries’ energy bills reached around JD152.9 million.
Al-Sarhan stressed that turning conservation into an institutional culture requires clear standards for measuring consumption and monitoring performance improvements.
Each energy-consuming institution should have a defined consumption baseline, an annual target and an indicator linking energy costs to the building’s area or to the unit of production, depending on the nature of its activities.
Setting target consumption levels and comparing them with actual results can help institutions identify areas of waste, assess the impact of measures taken and direct investments toward initiatives capable of generating the greatest possible savings.
Fuel Conservation: Vehicle Maintenance and Trip Planning
Al-Sarhan noted that a culture of conservation must also include fuel consumption.
Energy efficiency should not stop at the electricity bill but should extend to fuel use in transportation and vehicles operated by individuals, companies and institutions.
At the individual level, he stressed that regular vehicle maintenance, maintaining proper tire pressure, planning trips efficiently and using public transportation when practical can all help reduce fuel consumption.
Source: Al-Ghad
