Control of room temperature fluctuations in the building by incorporating PCM in the roof

The energy demand for maintaining the required thermal comfort in the building is always an increasing trend. The use of an air conditioner in the building for providing thermal comfort consumes more energy, and it leads to negative environmental impacts. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are essential to reduce energy consumption in the building. The phase change material (PCM)-based TES in the building has attracted attention in the recent years. In the PCM-based TES system, the heat energy gained during daytime is absorbed by the PCM and the stored energy is released during the night time. The objective of the work is to control the room temperature fluctuations by incorporating PCM in the building roof. The experiments are conducted in two identical model buildings: one is constructed with the implementation of PCM, and another one is constructed without the implementation of PCM in the building roof. It has been observed that the temperature fluctuations in the building are reduced by the use of PCM in the roof. The average peak temperature rise is reduced about 1–2 °C in the building with PCM incorporation in the roof, and thus, the energy required for maintaining the thermal comfort of the room is greatly reduced.