A Review on the Energy Performance and Efficiency of Radiant Floor Heating Systems with Integrated Phase Change Materials

In the modern society the concept of energy efficiency of buildings has become a subject of great interest, due to the negative impact of buildings upon the environment, society and economy. One of the methods of overcoming this is to provide a better efficiency of the energy storage because it is the key to resolve the difference between supply and demand. In comparison to electro-chemical batteries which provide limited energy storage at a high financially cost, thus in this regard, thermal energy storage technologies with high energy density have increased market potential. PCMs present objective advantages in comparison to classic construction materials due to their characteristics of being able to store and release higher quantities of thermal energy during the phase change process. A PCM radiant floor heating system can provide a reduction of the energy consumption for heating by up to 43%, trough the higher discharge time of the PCM compared to regular heating systems.