Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Benefits of latent thermal energy storage in the retrofit of Canadian high-rise residential buildings

  • Research Article
  • Building Thermal, Lighting, and Acoustics Modeling
  • Published:
Building Simulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Apartment buildings in major Canadian cities make the largest share of the residential stock. However, their poor performance is often characterized by indoor thermal discomfort conditions and high-energy consumptions. Therefore, decreasing the energy demand of high-rise residential buildings through energy retrofits is critical. In the recent years, the adoption of thermal energy storage has often been proposed to stabilize indoor temperatures and to reduce the energy demand for space conditioning in buildings. In this study, the benefits of passive latent thermal energy storage systems are investigated by integrating phase change materials (PCMs) into walls and ceilings of apartment units. A hybrid PCM system with a thickness of 2 cm composed of two PCM products with melting temperatures of 21.7 °C and 25 °C respectively, is investigated. The effectiveness of this composite PCM system is evaluated by quantifying the changes in indoor temperatures and energy demands for apartment buildings in the climate conditions of Toronto and Vancouver. A parametric analysis considering the building window to wall ratios, orientations and temperature set points is performed using simulations done with EnergyPlus™. The results show that the composite PCM system improves the indoor temperatures in both climates by reducing temperature fluctuations and balancing temperature peaks. Overall, the adoption of this system results in the reduction of cooling energy demand by 6% in Toronto and 31.5% in Vancouver. The results showed the benefit of applying two PCM melting points in one zone as an effective method for annual indoor temperature regulation, especially in Toronto.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ascione F, Bianco N, De Masi RF, de Rossi F, Vanoli GP (2014). Energy refurbishment of existing buildings through the use of phase change materials: Energy savings and indoor comfort in the cooling season. Applied Energy, 113: 990–1007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baetens R, Jelle BP, Gustavsen A (2010). Phase change materials for building applications: A state-of-the-art review. Energy and Buildings, 42: 1361–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bastani A, Haghighat F, Manzano CJ (2015). Investigating the effect of control strategy on the shift of energy consumption in a building integrated with PCM wallboard. Energy Procedia, 78: 2280–2285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennet IE, O’Brien W (2017). Field study of thermal comfort and occupant satisfaction in Canadian condominiums. Architectural Science Review, 60: 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berardi U, Manca M (2017). The energy saving and indoor comfort improvements with latent thermal energy storage in building retrofits in Canada. Energy Procedia, 111: 462–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berardi U (2017). A cross-country comparison of the building energy consumptions and their trends. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 123: 230–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bigaila E, Athienitis AK (2017). Modeling and simulation of a photovoltaic/thermal air collector assisting a façade integrated small scale heat pump with radiant PCM panel. Energy and Buildings, 149: 298–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourne S, Novoselac A (2015). Compact PCM-based thermal stores for shifting peak cooling loads. Building Simulation, 8: 673–688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabeza LF, Castell A, Barreneche C, de Gracia A, Fernández AI (2011). Materials used as PCM in thermal energy storage in buildings: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15: 1675–1695.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Childs KW, Stovall TK (2012). Potential Energy Savings Due to Phase Change Material in a Building Wall Assembly: An Examination of Two Climates. Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delcroix B, Kummert M, Daoud A, Bouchard J (2015). Influence of experimental conditions on measured thermal properties used to model phase change materials. Building Simulation, 8: 637–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diaconu BM, Cruceru M (2010). Novel concept of composite phase change material wall system for year-round thermal energy savings. Energy and Buildings, 42: 1759–1772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Entrop AG, Brouwers HJH, Reinders AHME (2011). Experimental research on the use of micro-encapsulated Phase Change Materials to store solar energy in concrete floors and to save energy in Dutch houses. Solar Energy, 85: 1007–1020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evola G, Marletta L, Sicurella F (2014). Simulation of a ventilated cavity to enhance the effectiveness of PCM wallboards for summer thermal comfort in buildings. Energy and Buildings, 70: 480–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueiredo A, Vicente R, Lapa J, Cardoso C, Rodrigues F, Kämpf J (2017). Indoor thermal comfort assessment using different constructive solutions incorporating PCM. Applied Energy, 208: 1208–1221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischer AS (2015). Fundamental thermal analysis. In: Fleischer AS (Ed), Thermal Energy Storage Using Phase Change Materials Fundamentals and Applications. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp. 75–85.

  • Finch G, Burnett E, Knowles W (2012). Energy Consumption and Conservation in Mid-and High-Rise Residential Buildings in British Columbia. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ge H, McClung VR, Zhang S (2013). Impact of balcony thermal bridges on the overall thermal performance of multi-unit residential buildings: A case study. Energy and Buildings, 60: 163–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert J, Koster U (2010). Phase Change Materials: New thermal mass solution for low inertia buildings. Available at http://www.energain.dupont.com.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guarino F, Athienitis A, Cellura M, Bastien D (2017). PCM thermal storage design in buildings: Experimental studies and applications to solaria in cold climates. Applied Energy, 185: 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Günther E, Hiebler S, Mehling H, Redlich R (2009). Enthalpy of phase change materials as a function of temperature: Required accuracy and suitable measurement methods. International Journal of Thermophysics, 30: 1257–1269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heier J, Bales C, Martin V (2015). Combining thermal energy storage with buildings—A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42: 1305–1325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heim D, Wieprzkowicz A (2016). Positioning of an isothermal heat storage layer in a building wall exposed to the external environment. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 9: 542–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoes P, Hensen JLM (2015). The potential of lightweight low-energy houses with hybrid adaptable thermal storage: Comparing the performance of promising concepts. Energy and Buildings, 110: 79–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IEA (2009). Energy Efficiency in the North American Existing Building Stock. International Energy Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenisarin M, Mahkamov K (2016). Passive thermal control in residential buildings using phase change materials. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 55: 371–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosny J (2015). Thermal and energy modelling of PCM-enhanced building envelopes. In: Kosny J (Ed), PCM-Enhanced Building Components. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp. 167–223.

  • Kuznik F, David D, Johannes K, Roux JJ (2011). A review on phase change materials integrated in building walls. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15: 379–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narain J, Jin W, Ghandehari M, Wilke E, Shukla N, Berardi U, El-Korchi T, van Dessel S (2016). Design and application of concrete tiles enhanced with microencapsulated phase-change material. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 22(1): 05015003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NRCan (2016). Energy Efficiency Trends in Canada: 1990–2013. National Resources Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Navarro L, de Gracia A, Niall D, Castell A, Browne M, McCormack SJ, Griffiths P, Cabeza LF (2016). Thermal energy storage in building integrated thermal systems: A review. Part2. Integration as passive system. Renewable Energy, 85: 1334–1356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikoofard S, Ismet Ugursal V, Beausoleil-Morrison I (2015). Technoeconomic assessment of the impact of phase change material thermal storage on the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the Canadian Housing Stock. Building Simulation, 8: 225–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozkan A, Kesik T, O’Brien W (2016). The influence of passive measures on building energy demands for space heating and cooling in multi-unit residential buildings. In: Proceedings of eSim 2016, Hamilton, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasupathy A, Velraj R (2008). Effect of double layer phase change material in building roof for year round thermal management. Energy and Buildings, 40: 193–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phase Change Energy Solutions (2016). Available at http://www.phasechange.com.

  • Rodriguez-Ubinas E, Arranz BA, Sánchez SV, González FJN (2013). Influence of the use of PCM drywall and the fenestration in building retrofitting. Energy and Buildings, 65: 464–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saffari M, de Gracia A, Ushak S, Cabeza LF (2017). Passive cooling of buildings with phase change materials using whole-building energy simulation tools: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 80: 1239–1255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soares N, Costa JJ, Gaspar AR, Santos P (2013). Review of passive PCM latent heat thermal energy storage systems towards buildings’ energy efficiency. Energy and Buildings, 59: 82–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soares N, Reinhart CF, Hajiah A (2017). Simulation-based analysis of the use of PCM-wallboards to reduce cooling energy demand and peak-loads in low-rise residential heavyweight buildings in Kuwait. Building Simulation, 10: 481–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soudian S, Berardi U (2017) Experimental investigation of latent thermal energy storage in high-rise residential buildings in Toronto. Energy Procedia, 132: 249–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabares-Velasco PC, Christensen C, Bianchi M, (2012). Verification and validation of EnergyPlus phase change material model for opaque wall assemblies. Building and Environment, 54: 186–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talyor RA, Miner M (2014). A metric for characterizing the effectiveness of thermal mass in building materials. Applied Energy, 128: 156–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Touchie MF, Pressnail KD, Tzekova E (2014). Assessing potential energy retrofits of multi-unit residential buildings in the Greater Toronto area. In: Proceedings of the 14th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, Toronto, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vautherot M, Maréchal F, Farid MM (2015). Analysis of energy requirements versus comfort levels for the integration of phase change materials in buildings. Journal of Building Engineering, 1: 53–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Z, Huang G, Haghighat F, Li H, Zhang G (2015). Control strategies for integration of thermal energy storage into buildings: State-ofthe-art review. Energy and Buildings, 106: 203–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the financial support through the grant DG 2016-04904, and the Ontario Ministry of Research Innovation and Science (MRIS) for the ERA award.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Umberto Berardi & Shahrzad Soudian

Authors
  1. Umberto Berardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shahrzad Soudian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Umberto Berardi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Berardi, U., Soudian, S. Benefits of latent thermal energy storage in the retrofit of Canadian high-rise residential buildings. Build. Simul. 11, 709–723 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-018-0436-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-018-0436-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation