Energy e!ciency is not only the most cost-e"ective way to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions but also a way to improve competitiveness and create
employment. EU aims to achieve nearly zero-energy (public) building (NZEB)
by the end of 2018 (2020 for private buildings). This very ambitious target
would be more easily ful#lled if high-performance thermal materials like
phase change materials-PCMs are to be used. This paper reports experimental
results on the properties of $y ash-based alkali-activated binder-AACB
mortars in which a minor percentage of aggregates were replaced by PCMs.
These include compression strength, at normal temperature and also at high
temperatures, $exural strength, density, water absorption, unrestrained
shrinkage as well as cost analysis. Several AACB mixtures showed an increase
in compressive strength after being exposed to high temperatures. Since
PCMs are made of $ammable materials and AACB mortars show a much
higher stability at high temperature than Portland cement-based mortars
this means that AACB mortars are more suitable for PCM incorporation. This
is a very important feature because $ammable insulation materials were
reported to be the cause of the recent Grenfell Tower #re tragedy that made
71 victims.