In recent years more and more energy is consumed in the European Union countries for summer air conditioning in buildings. This consumption will probably increase even more due to the predicted climate warming and the desire to improve the quality of life. At present final energy as heat and electricity is sourced mainly from fossil fuels. However, recently alternative renewable energy sources are increasingly taken into account as a result of efforts toward environmental protection and fuels savings. This paper presents results of the analysis of a hybrid solar-assisted heating and cooling system for buildings in the temperate climate of west and central Europe. Solar energy potential was estimated. The investigation was performed using a large scale laboratory installation, which contains an evacuated solar collector, a single-stage NH3-H2O absorption chiller and a hot water tank. The impact of the main system parameters on its performance was analyzed on the basis of energy balances.