Numerical model of applying PCM boards for energy saving in lightweight buildings in Shanghai

摘要

The lightweight building industry develops fast, but it has competitively worse thermal comfort than traditional buildings because of less thermal mass. The use of phase change material (PCM) can help to solve the problem and boost the energy efficiency. In this paper, the effect of applying PCM-boards in air-conditioned lightweight buildings in Shanghai has been evaluated. A parametric study is performed considering different PCM-boards configurations, using an EnergyPlus single-zone model. The daily and annual situation have been simulated in this study, and the predictions show that the energy saving depends on the phase change temperature of PCM and seasonal temperature. The application of PCM can save up to 20.88% of energy for air conditioning system in buildings. The daily assessment reveals that the passive PCM technology inside the wall saves more energy under heating conditions than the cooling condition because of the overheating.