Numerical Evaluation of Cooling Energy Saving and Indoor Thermal Comfort for Building Energy Retrofit with Reflective Materials

Reflective materials, characterized by high albedo and thermal emissivity, offer effective passive cooling strategies for reducing building energy demand. While prior studies have developed thermal transfer models validated under laboratory conditions or conducted short-term monitoring in non-air-conditioned spaces, their effectiveness in operational buildings remains underexplored. This research evaluates the change in cooling energy demand and indoor thermal comfort in a retrofitted office building with reflective materials in China’s Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) zone. The calibrated WUFI®Plus simulations show that the application of reflective roof and window materials can result in an 11.3% reduction in cooling energy demand. Moreover, occupant surveys indicate improved thermal perception, with the mean Thermal Comfort Vote (TCV) rising from −0.75 to −0.30, thermal acceptability increasing from 0.10 to 0.35, and 80% of occupants reporting cooler conditions. These subjective results align with simulated Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) reductions (0.82 → 0.74), confirming the retrofit’s effectiveness. While the energy savings are more modest than those reported in Mediterranean climates, they are generally consistent with the energy saving ratios of buildings in the HSCW region as evaluated by previous studies. This study provides a framework for assessing retrofits in occupied buildings with reflective materials and indicates the practicality of such retrofits as an economic, low-disruption strategy for upgrading aging office building stocks in the HSCW zone.