Towards Sustainable Development: Building’s Retrofitting with PCMs to Enhance the Indoor Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate, Malaysia

Zeyad Amin Al-Absi, Mohd Isa Mohd Hafizal, Mazran Ismail and Azhar Ghazali
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Zeyad Amin Al-Absi: School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Mohd Isa Mohd Hafizal: School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Mazran Ismail: School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Azhar Ghazali: School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Building sector is associated with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sustainable development emphasizes any actions to reduce climate change and its effect. In Malaysia, half of the energy utilized in buildings goes towards building cooling. Thermal comfort studies and adaptive thermal comfort models reflect the high comfort temperatures for Malaysians in naturally conditioned buildings, which make it possible to tackle the difference between buildings’ indoor temperature and the required comfort temperature by using proper passive measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of building’s retrofitting with phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling technology to improve the indoor thermal environment for more comfortable conditions. PCM sheets were numerically investigated below the internal finishing of the walls. The investigation involved an optimization study for the PCMs transition temperatures and quantities. The results showed significant improvement in the indoor thermal environment, especially when using lower transition temperatures and higher quantities of PCMs. Therefore, the monthly thermal discomfort time has decreased completely, while the thermal comfort time has increased to as high as 98%. The PCM was effective year-round and the optimum performance for the investigated conditions was achieved when using 18mm layer of PCM27-26.

Keywords: phase change materials (PCMs); tropical climate; thermal comfort; naturally conditioned buildings, residential buildings; operative temperature; night ventilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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