Natural ventilation control to enhance the performance of building envelope with integrated phase change material for passive applications in summer

The potential of phase change materials (PCMs) as passive strategy for building energy efficiency is well-acknowledged. This work explores the enhancement of PCMs passive cooling performance by an effective control of natural ventilation in residential buildings. Numerical analysis via coupled dynamic simulation and optimization analysis is carried out for different climate zones in Italy. Results show that the sole PCM integrations in the internal building envelope provides negligible performance improvement. However, the control of natural ventilation based on free-cooling availability is able to enhance the efficiency of PCMs thermal energy storage charge-discharge cycle. Accordingly, significant building cooling need reduction is achievable through the optimum coupling of PCMs and natural ventilation control, especially in the coldest climates.