Phase change materials (PCMs) can be used as an effective solution in the field of high-performance building systems as they act as a means of temporary energy storage. Properties of PCMs, including melting point temperature, location within the building envelope, and orientation, play an important role in overall heating and cooling energy consumption of a building that employs PCMs. In this work, a building energy simulation model (EnergyPlus) is developed for a typical medium size U.S. office building in Houston, in which PCMs are integrated into the building envelope in a range of configurations, with the purpose of identifying the most effective configurations in terms of amount, orientation, and material properties. Overall findings indicate that annual energy consumption is reduced with an increase PCM utilization. An annual energy savings of up to 30% can be achieved in the optimal configuration when 30 to 40% of the total amount of PCM is incorporated in the external walls and the remaining portion of the total PCM is used in the roof. The results of this work help the building construction industry working in the design and construction of high-performance buildings, to select the optimum distribution of PCMs in the building envelope to achieve energy efficient building design.
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