Effects of convective heat transfer coefficient on the ability of PCM to reduce building energy demand

ASHRAE Standard 140-2001 (BESTEST), case 600, in Toronto is simulated in TRNSYS 16. The incorporation of phase change material (PCM) with Type 204 into the BESTEST Case 600 envelope is modelled. PCM layer of one and ten millimetres thick covers all of the wall and ceiling surfaces. Simulations are conducted for different inside convective heat transfer coefficients (h-value). To do this, h-value is changed from 0.5 to 10 W/m2K. All simulations consider Toronto-716240 weather conditions with set points of 21℃ (heating) and 24℃ (cooling). The hourly, monthly and annual energy demand investigation reveals that the heating energy demand increases when h-value increases, but cooling load slightly decreases.