Assessing the Potential of Phase-Change Materials in Energy Retrofitting of Existing Buildings in a Mediterranean Climate

Roberto Stasi, Francesco Ruggiero and Umberto Berardi ()
Additional contact information
Roberto Stasi: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Design, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via Edoardo Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
Francesco Ruggiero: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Design, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via Edoardo Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
Umberto Berardi: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Design, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via Edoardo Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: The European Community has prioritized reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency in the building sector, along with ensuring increasingly high standards of thermal comfort, as key goals over recent decades. Given the impact of climate change, the rising frequency of extreme weather events, and the rapid shifts in peak demand during both winter and summer, buildings must efficiently respond to sudden and extreme temperature fluctuations while maintaining optimal indoor comfort. Phase-change materials (PCMs), which can adapt their thermophysical properties in response to external conditions, may offer a solution for enhancing building resilience to climate change. This paper evaluates the benefits of integrating various PCMs with plasterboard in the energy retrofit of a multi-family complex in a Mediterranean climate. The study examines the application of a PCM with a melting temperature of 25 °C at three different thicknesses (74.2 mm, 37.1 mm, and 20.8 mm) to external walls, ceilings, and both walls and ceilings simultaneously. Among the various applications, using the PCM on walls alone maximized heating savings as thickness increased (26.6%), while ceiling application maximized cooling energy savings (17.5%). Combined solutions offered the most balanced seasonal benefits, leading to the greatest overall energy reductions (24.1%).

Keywords: PCM; thermal energy storage; thermal comfort; energy saving (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/19/4839/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/19/4839/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:19:p:4839-:d:1486887

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().