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With the gradual increase of building energy consumption in recent years, the application of phase change energy storage materials in buildings has become the focus of researches. Phase change material (PCM) embedded in the envelope can increase the building inertia to keep the temperature stable. It can also store energy and release energy when needed. In this paper, the system of PCM radiant floor combined with PCM wall attached with sunspace was established. The thermal characteristics and the energy consumption of the building are studied through analyzing the data from the experimental investigation including the temperature and the heat flux. Two different buildings were built between the PCM room and the conventional room with the same dimension and building. The main test conditions are divided into passive and active control stages by comparing the air temperatures, envelope temperatures, phase transition temperatures, heat fluxes and power consumptions between the two rooms. It is concluded that the average room temperature of the experimental room is 7.15 °C higher than that of the conventional room in the passive energy storage stage. While the average energy-saving rate of PCM room was 54.27% compared with the conventional room in the active control stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems with phase change materials (PCMs) as a known energy storage technology have a high potential for increasing the energy efficiency of buildings. In fact, the use of PCMs with various approaches, either active or passive, in the building helps to maintain the temperature in the thermal comfort range for occupants through decreasing the temperature swings, and lower energy consumption by the load reduction/shifting. Due to the significance of this issue, many research works have been carried out on the application of PCMs in buildings. In this study, the experimental works in the fields of PCMs in buildings are taken into account. The papers are classified based on heating, cooling, and air-conditioning. Besides these, the applications of nano-PCMs in buildings are reviewed. According to what has been carried out up to now, the gaps are identified and analyzed for preparing useful suggestions for future works. The recommendations and suggestions are presented at the end of the chapters as well as the conclusion, and the literature is summarized in some tables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]