A brief survey is given of some recent trends and developments in the field of optical coatings for energy efficiency and solar applications. The discussion is focused on spectrally selective coatings and embraces transparent heat-mirrors, surfaces for selective absorption of solar energy, coatings for passive cooling by selective infraredemission, and optical switching coatings. A number of examples of coatings for different purposes are treated; most of these are taken from recent work performed at Chalmers University of Technology.