Sensitivity of energy performance to the selection of PCM melting temperature for the building located in Cfb climate zone

Abstract

In the present study, optimization of PCM layer thickness and melting temperature to increase the energy-saving potential of the office building located in eight cities in the Cfb climate zone was conducted using the Fanger model. The sensitivity of the energy savings to the selection of PCM melting temperature was quantitatively analyzed using a novel indicator of average savings drop. Additionally, the investigation of the effect of real PCMs on the energy performance of the building located in Cfb climate as well as the economic and environmental analyses were accomplished. The results showed that the PCM layer with a thickness of 2 cm reached the highest values of energy savings per unit thickness. The optimization of the PCM melting temperature revealed that PCM 22–25 were optimum for the whole Cfb climate zone and resulted in energy consumption reduction values of up to 37.6%. The sensitivity analysis showed that the steadiness of the outdoor climate conditions affects the sensitivity of the energy savings to the selection of PCM melting temperature. The analysis of real PCMs revealed that PCM 25-r demonstrated more efficient performance in all cities. Overall, it was concluded that the integration of PCM can be considered an economically and environmentally feasible solution.

Keywords

• Phase change materials (PCM)
• Cfb climate zone
• Fanger predictive mean vote index
• Energy consumption reduction (ECR)
• Average savings drop (ASD)