Objective: determining selection criteria for suitable PCMs in a tropical climate. ❖ Development of tools to collect and analyze local data; ❖ Modeling of the experimental benches with the measured properties of the selected PCM; ❖ Validation of the selected parameters with the simulation code, EnergyPlus TM. The "Phase Change Materials: an innovation for Tropical Buildings" (MCP-iBAT) project is conducted to identify and develop local resources for the improvement of thermal comfort and the energy management of buildings in Reunion Island (France). The present study evaluates the effects of a selected Phase Change Material (PCM) on an experimental lightweight building, located at Saint-Pierre, representative of the coastline area.