Study of a Thermally Enhanced Light Steel Framing Building Incorporating Phase Change Materials Towards Passive Thermal Comfort

Abstract

Increasing attention has been given to the impacts of buildings on the environment, economy, and society since it is the sector responsible for the highest energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions. As a roadmap for carbon mitigation, reducing energy consumption and improving thermal performance are the key factors for achieving efficient and sustainable buildings. The Thermal Energy Storage systems (TES) incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCM) are a possible strategy to reduce the dependence of buildings on fossil fuels. Notably, in the case of Light Steel Framing buildings (LSF), PCM are also a promising approach to enhance their thermal inertia, avoiding possible overheating issues. In this work, a monitoring campaign was carried out focused on the study of the thermal performance of two identical real-scale LSF buildings: one representing a common LSF as a reference case building; and the other represents a thermally enhanced building incorporating PCM. Therefore, a comparative analysis of the indoor thermal environment in the two twin buildings was conducted, considering both indoor air and inner surface temperatures. The surface temperature behaviour highlighted the thermal regulation capacity of the PCM: a reduction of up to $1.5\,^\circ {\text{C}}$ in the maximum peak and an attenuation of about $2.5\,^\circ {\text{C}}$ in the minimum peak temperatures were achieved. As expected, the thermally enhanced building also exhibited a slower heating and cooling rate of the indoor environment, compared with the reference (37% and 54% reduction in heating and cooling rate, respectively).