Improvement of Energy Efficiency in Lightweight Passive Solar Designed Housing Using Microencapsulated Phase-change Material Plasterboard

摘要

Thermal energy storage is a key component of reducing energy use in buildings, particularly those with little thermal mass. In such cases integrating phase-change material (PCM) into the structure is regarded as a thermally efficient method of achieving this. Space conditioning systems using integrated PCM exhibit significantly higher thermal capacities than conventional systems and are therefore able to reduce and normalize extremes of temperature. This paper describes the results of trials held within a transportable lightweight building where the ceilings were lined in standard 15mm plasterboard impregnated with microencapsulated PCM.