The discourse and practice of sustainability in the Middle East are driven by a convergence of pressing issues that collectively demand a more efficient and sustainable use of resources. These drivers are high domestic energy use, diminishing water resources, commercial development pressures, and a desire to demonstrate environmental stewardship. Saudi Arabia, for example, is estimated to use a third of its oil production to satisfy domestic energy needs, a ratio that is expected to rise to approximately 50 % by 2030, if growing consumption patterns do not change. Abu Dhabi on the other hand, which has almost no fresh water resources, uses more than half of its domestic energy consumption in water desalination. Thus, faced with limited policy options to reverse the consumption patterns that subsidised energy prices have created, regional policy-makers increasingly turn to energy use in buildings, given the high cost-effectiveness of measures in this field.