Yu, Y; Zhao, B; Yu, J; Xu, Y; Chang, W S; Chen, Y and Guo, H (2025) Study of phase change material on alleviating building overheating risk in cold regions of China. Building Research & Information, 53(1-2), pp. 183-203. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
Rising summer overheating risk in China's cold regions due to climate change has drawn significant attention. Phase change material (PCM) has lowered indoor temperatures and saved energy in some areas, but its suitability and optimal phase change temperature in cold climates remain unconfirmed. This study evaluated overheating risks and assessed PCM's potential impact within these regions. The indoor temperature of an office building was monitored from May to September 2022 to track overheating instances. This measurement data was also used to simulate the PCM's effect in EnergyPlus. According to CIBSE TM52, Yichun experienced 255 h (13.89% of total time) of overheating, Harbin had 744 h (40.54%), Shenyang had 1173 h (63.89%), and Dalian had 1255 h (68.36%). Using PCM could reduce overheating hours by 198 h (10.78%) in Yichun, 346 h (18.85%) in Harbin, 351 h (19.12%) in Shenyang, and 204 h (11.11%) in Dalian. Additionally, it potentially reduced energy consumption by 4.56%-30.57% across these cities. To address climate change challenges, policymakers are suggested to contemplate implementing PCM as an effective measure to protect existing buildings from summer heat in the cold regions of China.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | climate change; energy consumption; energyplus simulation; overheating; phase change material |
| Index terms: | cold climate, summer, energy consumption, office building, energyplus, climate change, suitability, China, overheating, phase-change material, indoor temperature |
| Subjects: | design criteria, thermal systems, energy systems, Geography, environmental science, materials science, climate science, construction type |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Design Practice, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here