The energy saving and indoor comfort improvements with latent thermal energy storage in building retrofits in Canada

High-rise apartment buildings in Canada are an integral part of the residential building stock, and their dominance is continuing to grow as their market escalates. Meanwhile, the refurbishment of the existing multi-unit residential building stock is becoming a fundamental step in order to address Canadian energy saving targets. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness for energy saving of increasing the thermal capacity of the building enclosure. In particular, this paper assesses the benefits of the adoption of Phase Change Material (PCM) in lightweight constructions in the climates of Toronto and Vancouver. The main aspect investigated is the contribution of PCM systems to lower the building cooling demand and to increase the indoor thermal comfort. Building simulations aimed at comparing different PCM systems for building elements such as floors, ceilings, and walls are reported. Different orientations and internal gains are considered in order to have a complete understanding of the potential benefits of the adoption of systems with high (latent) thermal energy storage capacity in building retrofits in Canada. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.