Abstract
Lightweight construction is experiencing a significant market implementation with sustained growth both for new buildings and retrofitting purposes. Despite the acknowledged advantages of this type of construction, their reduced thermal inertia can jeopardize indoor thermal comfort levels while leading to higher energy consumption due to high indoor temperature fluctuations and overheating rates. The incorporation of phase change materials (PCMs) into constructive solutions for lightweight buildings is a promising strategy to guarantee adequate thermal comfort conditions. Particularly, the utilization of mortars embedding PCMs as an indoor wall coating for new and existing buildings represents a solution that has not been widely explored in the past and needs further development and validation efforts. This work pursues the analysis of the thermal regulation effects generated by two thermally-enhanced mortars incorporating microencapsulated PCMs with different operating temperature ranges. To that end, an experimental campaign was conducted in Valladolid (Spain) to address the investigation of the proposed solution under a real-scale relevant environment. The proposed mortars were applied as an indoor coating to the envelope of a single-zone lightweight construction that was monitored (under different weather conditions along 1-year monitoring campaign) together with an identical building unit where the mortar was not added to the constructive base layer. The analysis of indoor temperature fluctuations under free-floating operating mode as well as the energy consumption of HVAC equipment under controlled-temperature operation was specifically targeted. Results derived from the continuous monitoring campaign revealed lower temperature fluctuations during summer and shoulder seasons, reducing indoor temperature peaks by 1–2 °C, and producing a time delay of 1–1.5 h into the temperature wave. A clear reduction in energy use due to the incorporation of the PCM-based indoor coating panels is also observed. Thus, this experimental research contributes to proving that the use of innovative mortars incorporating embedded PCMs enables the development of high-end efficient building solutions with innovative materials towards a sustainable built environment.
Highlights
Energy efficiency in buildings is one of the key priorities to face the challenges derived from climate change in Europe due to the fact that buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions [1]
In order to demonstrate and validate the effects on the indoor temperature regulation capabilities of 2 phase change materials (PCMs)-containing mortar solutions applied to lightweight constructions, as well as on the corresponding energy demand for space conditioning, a methodology consisting of 4 main phases was followed: 1. Design and fundamental research of the PCM solutions, including selection of PCM temperature ranges, lab testing of microstructural, mechanical, and thermal characteristics, as well as preliminary numerical studies
The present work has addressed the implementation and monitoring, at a real-scale relevant environment, of indoor wall coating elements for lightweight constructions based on two thermally-enhanced mortars with incorporation of PCMs with different operating temperature ranges
Summary
Energy efficiency in buildings is one of the key priorities to face the challenges derived from climate change in Europe due to the fact that buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions [1]. In order to reduce the primary energy use and carbon footprint of existing and new buildings, three main strategies can be addressed: (i) reducing their energy demand resourcing to improved passive behavior, (ii) supplying the required energy in the most sustainable manner, from production and distribution up to end users, thanks to local energy harvesting and efficient energy systems, and (iii) increasing the use of clean, renewable energy sources [5] In this line, the passive exploitation of the thermal inertia in building structures as Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems, as well as their active management through direct coupling with active energy production technologies (giving rise to the concept of Thermally Activated Building Systems, TABS) [6,7] have demonstrated their high potential for energy savings, since they enable the reduction of peak loads while improving indoor thermal comfort conditions [8]. These studies reveal that the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of PCM-enhanced materials and constructive solutions portray a significant role in the development of efficient thermal activation of building structural components
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