Heat gain through the buildings opaque facades significantly contributes to the energy consumption of Heating

Ventilation

and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. In the post-construction phase

retrofitting options for reducing façade heat gain are limited

with cool paints being the prevalent strategy. However

the efficacy of shading systems as an alternative strategy remains underexplored as existing research predominantly focuses on proof-of-concept validation

often overlooking a comprehensive assessment of shading system configurations across diverse climates and building typologies. Moreover

a comparative analysis of the performance and potential synergies between cool paints and shading systems on opaque facades is crucial to understand their actual effectiveness in real-world applications. To address these gaps

our study undertakes an extensive parametric simulation

taking into account variables such as shading configurations

cool paints with varying facade solar absorbance values

facade orientation

diverse climates

and different building typologies. The results demonstrate that the use of shading on opaque facades alone could result in a HVAC energy saving of 8–28 %

while the application of cool paints (façade absorptance value of 0.2) alone could reduce the HVAC energy consumption by 10–35 %. By combining the use of shading and cool paints

the HVAC energy savings are further increased by 2–5 %. The findings of this study offer a novel perspective on the selection of opaque façade technologies

broadening the sustainable design and retrofit options.