Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Living: Exploring PCM Wall Systems for Superior Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort

The stability of energy is at risk due to the growing demand for reliable electricity supply. The share of primary energy usage in the residential sector is very high and contributes 1/3rd of the global greenhouse gas emissions. A major portion of the building's energy is consumed for space heating and cooling of the building to attain thermal comfort. Around 1.9 billion air condition systems were used in 2019 to fulfill the requirement of thermal comfort in the building sector all over the world. Considering current energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort concerns, the idea of thermal energy storage in buildings has gained great significance. PCM is the material that stores thermal energy and experiences a phase change. Phase Change Material (PCM) increases the thermal inertia of the buildings, thereby stabilizing the internal air temperature fluctuations by absorbing and releasing heat at specific temperature thresholds. It is thought to be a potential solution for lowering energy consumption in buildings. PCM is imposed inside the walls to regulate the room temperature. An effort has been undertaken to compare the inner wall temperature of a constructed modular building unit both with and without PCM use. The PCM-imposed modular construction unit exhibits decreased temperature variations since it releases and absorbs surplus heat from the room's exterior, keeping the interior temperature steady. When compared to a plain wall, the walls of a modular building unit enforced by PCM can lower the heat load by 10% to 30%. The result of this study indicates that there is a 2–3 °C drop in room temperature, and it is determined that the modular building unit mandated by PCM offers greater prospects for energy savings than the conventional modular building unit. To discourse the ineffectiveness of building structures and degraded comfort level in buildings. The integration of PCMs into the building envelope can minimize the building's energy demand.