Phase change materials (PCMs) with suitable melting ranges for thermal energy storage applications are alkanes, paraffins, fatty acids, eutectic mixtures, and inorganic PCMs. Paraffinic hydrocarbons and fatty acids with low solubility in water are usually the preferred candidates. Pentadecane, which is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C15H32, was used as PCM in this study. The pentadecane was microencapsulated with a poly(melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF)) shell for thermal energy storage. Pentadecane/poly(MUF) microcapsules were prepared by in situ polymerization method. The morphological analysis of pentadecane microcapsules was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal properties of microcapsulated pentadecane were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results demonstrated that pentadecane/PUF microcapsules were prepared successfully, and they offer proper phase transition temperature range (8.7°C and 8.1°C) and heat enthalpy values (84.5 and -88.2 kJ/kg) for thermal energy storage applications. According to the results, it was determined that pentadecane/poly(MUF) microcapsules have good potential for thermal energy storage applications. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.