Buildings account for a significant portion of a nation’s total energy consumption. To meet the global demand for greater energy efficiency, many countries are drastically strengthening insulation regulations for buildings. Thus, dramatically thicker wall insulation may be required, which can...

Since the end of the 1990s, thermally activated building systems (TABSs) have emerged as an energy-efficient and economically viable means of heating and cooling buildings. Because the temperature of the water that these systems use is very close to room temperature, TABSs are one of the most...

Phase change materials (PCMs) have been considered as an innovative technology that can reduce the peak loads and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) energy consumption in buildings. Basically they are substances capable of storing or releasing thermal energy as latent heat. Because...