Demand for cooling in buildings across the European Union has grown steadily over the past decades—and all indicators suggest it will continue rising in the coming years. This trend, driven by climate change, presents an urgent challenge: ensuring thermal comfort in a sustainable way. In this context, the CoolLIFE project was launched. Funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme and coordinated by Eurac together with an international consortium of organizations, its goal is to provide open-source tools for integrating ecological cooling solutions into public and private decision-making.
CoolLIFE
Sustainable Solutions for Space Cooling in European Buildings
Last updated: December 2025
A Tool for Mapping Cooling Demand
The project’s main outcome is CoolLIFE, an online tool that maps cooling demand in buildings across the EU. It provides detailed information at multiple scales—from 100 x 100-meter urban grids to continental-level overviews—allowing users to identify areas with the highest cooling needs and plan energy-efficient solutions.
CoolLIFE goes beyond energy data. It includes cost-benefit analyses, regulatory considerations, and information on user behavior, lifestyles, and comfort expectations, adapting solutions to cultural and geographic factors. Among its features, it also incorporates demand-response mechanisms to optimize the use of renewable energy at key moments.
CoolLIFE Knowledge Center
Complementing the tool, the project has developed the CoolLIFE Knowledge Center, an online repository aligned with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). It brings together scientific articles, datasets, reports, project results, and other key resources related to space cooling in Europe.
Content can be easily located through keyword searches and downloaded in open formats such as CSV, Excel, or PDF, facilitating reuse by policymakers, researchers, and industry professionals.
A Commitment to Efficient Cooling
Today, the European cooling market is dominated by traditional vapor-compression systems, which account for 99% of consumption. Alternative solutions—such as passive, natural, or renewable-based cooling—remain little known and rarely implemented.
CoolLIFE aims to change this by providing accessible tools that support informed decision-making, promote clean technologies, and contribute to a more efficient and fair energy system.
The project will conclude in October 2025, but its tools will remain available as open resources—a clear commitment to a future in which cooling our spaces does not come at a climate cost.