Work

Thermal performance and energy consumption validation of an occupied local government office building outfitted with ceiling tile phase change materials

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Buildings present a significant opportunity for energy conservation and the modulation of peak energy demand through controlling Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) energy use. The administrative and office building stock in the United States holds potential for energy savings and demand flexibility through retrofits such as insulation, weatherization, and thermal energy storage. This study centers a local governmental office building in Kansas, employing Phase Change Materials (PCMs) as a passive energy storage strategy in the drop ceiling. A comprehensive energy audit and on-site measurement of HVAC systems' energy demand and consumption formed the basis for a full-scale EnergyPlus energy model, serving as a baseline for evaluation. Validation of simulated ceiling layer average hourly temperatures against data from installed sensors was performed. The calibrated model's energy simulation results revealed accepted errors for monthly and hourly pre- and post-retrofit electricity and natural gas data. This study employed energy scales per Heating Degree Hour and Cooling Degree Hour, in contrast to the commonly used Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days as reported in the literature to analyze the energy savings from the ceiling PCM-retrofitted measure. Despite offering a more nuanced understanding of energy pattern changes, uncertainties such as thermostat overrides and occupancy schedule changes in the occupied building prevented the derivation of a concrete energy-saving figure. This underscores the pivotal role of a calibrated model in assessing the efficacy of a singular energy measure, like a PCM-retrofitted ceiling, in an occupied office building.

Source: Journal of Building Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112593

Authors: Habib Arjmand Mazidi, Sajith Wijesuriya, Mario M. Medina, Chuck Booten, Barry Dicker, Ravi Anant Kishore

Institutions: University of Kansas, National Laboratory of the Rockies

Language: English

Topic: Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,940