This paper describes the use of daylight coefficients in a computer tool which is based in Monte Carlo backward ray tracing merthod and was developed under the frame of DAYLIGHT- Europe EC Project. Following the daylight coefficients approach the intereflection calculation is carried out once for each zone and it doesn’t have to be repeated if the sky luminance distribution changes.

In this paper, a new method of direct run - time coupling between building energy simulation and global illuminance simulation is outlined and discussed. Direct coupling at the time step level between ESP-r and RADIANCE provides building energy simulation with access to an internal illuminance calculation engine, thus enabling modelling of the complex interactions between artificial lighting control and the rest of the building energy domain in a fully integrated way.

A controller for heating systems is normally equipped with many facilities to make it flexible and the heating system more cost-efficient. This results in a number of input parameters to be given by the user. It is not obvious how to choose appropriate values for these parameters unless the user has a large experience in this field. The aim of this paper is to reduce the number of parameters, with thermal comfort and energy consumption intact. This paper will show the benefits with a feedback from the room temperature.

A simulation software focused on HVAC energy consumption in large supermarkets, called Clim Top, has been recently developed in France. The first originality of this tool is to have a friendly interface, especially designed for supermarkets, which makes it really available for various users involved in energy savings in supermarkets (architects, maintenance managers, technical store managers, energy consulting engineers, ...), as well in terms of HVAC design as in terms of energy audit.

A case study is used to introduce a two-step thermal demand calculation for buildings in order to take thermal bridges into consideration. In  the first step the outer envelope of a typical apartment is 3- dimensionally modelled and a 3D  thermal- coupling coefficient is calculated. In the second step the thermal demands of the whole  building is calculated using three variations of the outer envelope design. Each variation is  calculated in ID and 3D.

The lighting simulation programme Radiance is used to predict daylight factors and the illuminance distribution in a room which is 12m x 12m x 3.6m high, with grey tinted solar control glazing. These predictions are compared with measurements taken simultaneously in the real room and in a physical model placed outside. Radiance is also used to predict the lighting conditions under a CIE overcast sky distribution.

Reliable sky luminance models are considered to be conditio sine qua non for accurate computational simulation of daylight distribution in architectural spaces. Toward this end, the paper compares six sky models specifically with regard to their applicability in the tropical context.

Collaborative building engineering is a team effort in which many elements have to be combined into a unified structure. The aims of the architect, the engineer and all the other players have to merge into a seamless design process. This paper deals with the exchange of information among the design team members, and introduces methods that enhance a particular subset of the exchanged information, i.e. the information related to performance of intermediate designs.

COMIS 3.0 is a new simulation environment developed in the framework of IEA/ECB Annex 23. To our knowledge this is the first time that one of the Annexes of IEA/ECB produces as its main result a validated software not only designed for research laboratories but also intended to be used by engineering and consulting companies. Annex 23-subtask 1 aimed at developing a multizone air flow modelling system (COMIS1) encapsulated in a Simulation Environment, in order to facilitate access to, and use of COMIS. In this paper, the main features of this new multizone airflow and pollutant transport si

CA-SIS software has been developed on PC as a tool for engineering offices in their Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning studies. Based on TRNSYS solver, its major revolutionary characteristics consist of a gradual approach driven by a user friendly graphic interface :