A review on energy conservation in buildings by use of Air layers and Phase Change Material

Demand for energy has been increasing worldwide and the building sector represents a large percentage of global energy consumption which is directly connected with increasing global warming. In building Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are significantly responsible for energy consumption and global warming. To provide suitable quality of air for human comfort, HVAC plays a major role. It is important to see that there is an increasing amount of literature has been published on this topic in recent years. This paper therefore provides an updated review of the literature on energy conservation and performance in residential buildings, by considering the aspects of building envelopes that contain inner air layers and role of phase change material in building energy conservation. The working principle of different air layer used in building envelopes and recent literature on PCM are discussed.