相变材料可以应用于建筑实践中，以提高储热性能，减少室内温度波动，改善居住者的热舒适性。随着建筑能耗模拟在节能建筑的设计和分析中发挥越来越大的作用，了解这些工具的功能和性能非常重要。一个流行且功能强大的建筑模拟程序是ESP-r，它能够将PCM的使用纳入热模拟。使用最佳标准（ASHRAE 2004）研究了使用多层PCM与使用单层PCM的效果。研究发现，一般而言，PCMscan的应用会显著影响建筑物的热性能。引文:ASHRAE交易——第120卷，第一部分，纽约州纽约

Phase-change materials (PCMs) can be implemented into building practice to enhance thermal storage performance, reduce indoor temperature fluctuations, and improve the thermal comfort of occupants. As building energy simulation is taking an ever larger role in the design and analysis of energyefficient buildings, it is important to understand the capabilities and performance of these tools. A popular and powerful building simulation program is ESP-r, which is capable of incorporating the use of PCMs into the thermal simulation. An effect of using multiple layers of PCMs versus using a single layer was investigated using the BESTEST standard (ASHRAE 2004). It was found that in general, the application of PCMscan significantly affect the thermal performance of the building.