A new version of the US Department of Energy’s building modelling software, EnergyPlus (version 8.8.0) has been announced which includes a new PCM module. This module, developed by NRGsim Inc., uses both the melting and freezing graphs and hence takes account of hysteresis. The input data required can be found in the Input Output Reference…
For those who missed the launch of this German engineering standard at the end of last year it’s certainly worth checking out VDI 2164. This 70 page document is half in German and half in English and covers the use of PCMs in construction applications in great detail. A three page abstract (including the index)…
The recent Committee on Climate Change report, to the UK government (https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/synthesis-report/), highlights the risks and actions required that are arising due to climate change. Both Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-28/u-k-told-to-look-beyond-air-conditioning-as-heat-waves-multiply) and the Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/91857d8e-5bf7-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b) highlight the fact that buildings continue to overheat and that large areas of glazing tend to make matters worse. Increased use of air…
Phase Change Materials(PCMs), or latent heat storage materials for building applications, are an emerging technology in the UK. They offer a solution for improving the thermal performance and comfort of low thermal mass buildings currently being constructed using modern materials and techniques and also when renovating existing building stock. Find out what PCMs are, how they…