In the coming years, it is anticipated that if we continue with the same pace of energy consumption, communities will continue to face three major challenges; a mounting increase in energy demands, pollution, and global warming. On a local scale, Egypt is experiencing one of its most serious energy crises in decades. The energy consumed in indoor cooling and heating is the biggest portion of total energy consumption in residential buildings. This paper is an experimental simulation study for building retrofitting in off-grid settlements in semi-arid climates, using Trombe wall as a low-tech passive heating and cooling solution. In this study, we made developments to the conventional classic Trombe wall using occupant-centered design and living lab experimental methods. The thermal efficiency of the proposed Trombe wall design is simulated during winter and summer peaks. In the proposed design we used gray paint instead of typical black paint in addition to 15 cm reversible natural wool insulation and two 3 mm thick roll-up wool curtains. The new design reduced the heating load by 94% and reduced the cooling load by 73% compared to the base case with an annual energy savings of 53,631 kW h and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 144,267 kg of CO2. The living lab test proved that the proposed design of the Trombe wall is economically viable and the payback time is 7 months. It is recommended that the proposed design be monitored for a whole year to have an accurate assessment of its efficiency. A post occupancy evaluation is also needed to measure local residents' acceptance and perceived comfort after retrofitting. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.