Research Information System
Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This research concentrates on assessing the energy conservation potential of latent heat activation achieved by incorporating PCM into the north, south, west, and east wall, one wall at a time or to all walls simultaneously, or to a flat roof. The results refer to a Mediterranean single-story house located in the Csa climate region according to the Köppen-Geiger classification system. Each scenario was examined on a yearly basis for combinations of PCM melting temperature and layer thickness, making up a total of 300 cases. These were analyzed and compared to identify solutions that offered the highest energy savings while using the least amount of PCM. For single-wall integration, the highest saving of 77 kWh was achieved in the case of south-wall orientation, 20 mm PCM thickness and 25 °C melting temperature. Latent heat activation represented 87.8% of total energy savings. Integration to all walls simultaneously yielded an energy saving of 397.8 kWh with latent heat contributing 91.2%, while flat roof integration saved 432.5 kWh of which latent heat represented 96.5%. The flat roof emerged as the most effective choice for PCM integration, providing savings ranging from 0.433 kWh to 0.140 kWh per kg of PCM. Single-wall integration offered only 0.259 kWh kg−1 to 0.119 kWh kg−1, indicating comparably poor energy-saving performance. Overall, up to 189.9 kg CO2 reduction was achieved depending on the PCM layer thickness and façade selection.