Summary Phase change materials (PCMs) have great potentials to be used in modern building materials to stabilize indoor temperature fluctuations for improving thermal comfort. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the use of PCMs in buildings to improve thermal comfort without increasing energy consumption. Concise discussions of the experimental and computational works reported in literature are presented. A special focus of this review is devoted to discussing different analysis methods and models used to test, characterize, and measure the performance of PCMs in modern building applications under different conditions. This detailed review also highlights the special attention given to organic PCMs, such as paraffin, due to their favorable properties, such as low price, chemical stability, non‐corrosiveness, and high latent heat of fusion. The review shows the scarcity of literature reporting the use of eutectic PCMs in building applications, despite their high volumetric storage density.

Summary This paper reviews the application of phase change materials (PCMs) for improving the performance of air conditioning systems. The different methods of integrating PCMs into air conditioning systems are presented. Moreover, the effects of PCM geometry, flow, and heat transfer characteristics on the performance of air conditioning systems and the potential use of PCMs in increasing the energy savings and coefficient of performance of air conditioning systems are also discussed. Recent studies on the thermodynamic (energy and exergy), economic, and environmental benefits of integrating PCMs into air conditioning systems are reviewed. Several methods for the preparation and optimal selection of PCMs are proposed to improve the performance of air conditioning systems, and then the challenges relating to PCM properties, optimal thickness, and PCM containers are highlighted. The economic aspects, humidity effect, life cycle assessment, and use of solid‐solid PCMs are cited as potentially important topics for future research.

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