Impact of employing phase change material in building wall on energy consumption and thermal comfort level

Abstract

Energy crises are becoming a problem for many, most of the energy being produced is utilized in buildings. Building design and materials that are used in buildings play a vital role in saving electricity. Sustainable cities are one of the eleventh goal of Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved and this study is in context of SDGs for developing tools to create this globe sustainable and efficient society for humans. Phase change material is a type of material that can absorb and release heat energy as it changes between solid and liquid states. This ability to store and release thermal energy makes PCM a promising material for use in building insulation, Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning Systems, and other energy efficient applications. The use of PCM in buildings has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort levels. By incorporating PCM into building envelopes, such as walls, roofs, and floors, the material can absorb excess heat during the day and release it at night, helping to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce the need for heating and cooling systems. This study investigates the impact of using PCM in building envelopes. In this regard office building rooms are modelled in CAD software and are simulated in energy plus software. The simulation results are validated by considering the experiment and numerical study as a reference from paper. Model room is simulated for Hyderabad, Pakistan. Building envelopes without PCM have conduction rate of around 106.6 W/m2, whereas building envelopes with PCM have conduction rate around 42 W/m2. This shows that utilization of PCM reduced heat conduction up to around 40%. PCM reduced energy consumption of around 33.25 kWh/year/m2. Results show that without PCM air temperature was above the thermal comfort value. it reached 300C in hot months, it reduced up to 270C with the incorporation of PCM.