Improving performance of household refrigerators by incorporating phase change materials

Efforts to increase energy efficiency of refrigerators shall directly reduce energy consumption in residential buildings. Incorporating phase change materials (PCM) is a new approach to improve the performance of refrigerators. In this study, we have tested four different PCMs in two different refrigerator models. Compressor on/off time was optimized and better energy efficiency was achieved. Increasing condenser surface area by 20% enhanced the PCM effect. The use of only 0.95 kg of PCM has resulted in a 9.4% energy saving. Economic analyses show that using PCMs in household refrigerators is clearly a cost effective method that saves energy and reduces harmful emissions.