Testing and comparison of an active dry wall with PCM against a traditional dry wall in a relevant operational environment

As the building stock plays an essential role in meeting Europe’s climate target, suitable strategies are necessary for the sector transition. This paper compares two dry-multi-layer walls characterized by different compositions: one applies heat reflective insulation with Phase Change Materials (PCM), while the second uses traditional glass wool batt. The experimental tests were conducted in a retrofitted building, the VELUXlab, a multi-testing laboratory located at Politecnico di Milano University (Italy), as one of the main outputs of the TEPORE project granted by the Lombardy Region. The temperatures and Heat Flux were measured through sensors between the inner and outer surfaces of the traditional wall (Dry Wall) and the false-wall with PCM (Active Dry Wall). The goal was to compare the two technologies evaluating the performance during daytime and nighttime in the winter season. Outcomes showed the advantages of the PCM application on space heating energy needs, revealing that their integration into the false-wall decreases the temperature by 1°C for a 30-40% thermal savings in the building envelope heat losses per week during cold seasons compared to the traditional wall. The study reveals that the PCM layer reduced the peak Heat Flux by 2.67 W/m2 during the accumulation and release period.