This paper deals with an optimal control algorithm which enables to regulate the heating installation of a building with discontinuous occupation. The control structure is based on the quadratic optimization principle. It seems to have several characteristics that are worth mentioning, in particular its simple calculating method and its easy installation. As opposed to the optimal control algorithms based on the minimum principle, the above-mentioned algorithm can be set up in microprocessors of very low capacity.

We describe the need for a joint effort between design researchers and simulation tool developers in formulating procedures and standards for integrating simulation into the building design process. We review and discuss current efforts in the US and Europe in the development of next- generation simulation tools and design integration techniques.

The current generation of building simulation software is based upon separate building, mechanical system, and equipment simulations. This scheme evolved primarily because of memory limitations of the computers which were used to develop the programs. Hardware advancements have eliminated some of these limitations so the separate building and system scheme needs to be reevaluated.

General continuous simulation of today is a handicraft mastered by a small group of experts. Systematic modelling techniques and supporting tools are beginning to emerge, promising access to advanced simulation also for less experienced users. Several ambitious projects around the world are at different stages of completion (e.g. EKS, SPANK, CLIM2000, SEE, HS1). These projects approach the task from widely different angles and the final products, once available, will offer a rich menu of alternatives.

In order to define a global control strategy leading to a more rational use of energy, the CSTB, in collaboration with Gaz de France (GAR), has carried out a large study on gasflred heating plants, taking into account three types of heating and ventilation systems. The first investigated system is a hot water radiator coupled with a single-flux ventilation. The second system of interest combines a double-flux ventilation with standard hot water radiators.

One of the inherent problems with monitoring hourly energy use and environmental conditions in commercial buildings is efficiently processing the "sea" of data that accumulates into an easily understood form. Even when the data exist, building energy analysts generally rely on multiple "flat" ASCII files for storing and retrieving their data only to find that it can take several hours to perform a simple task such as creating a 2-D time series plot of energy use using data from several monitored channels.

This paper describes a computer simulation program being developed at the Hong Kong Polytechnic for dynamic modelling of heat and moisture transport in buildings. At present, the program can simulate simultaneous heat and moisture transfer in the walls and slabs of a room and its effect on the room temperature and humidity. Effects of outdoor weather and air?conditioning are simultaneously simulated.

The present paper shows a possible way to make simulation computer codes more easy to use by nonspecialists. The basic idea is to implement a code which translates the building representation into a suitable thermal model. It is a part of a more important project which takes place at the Solar Energy Laboratory (LESO-PB), and which aims at the elaboration of an integrated system to assist building designers (Morel 1989a).

The developments in the computer-aided building design will enable designers to improve the energy performance in buildings, through a more appropriate design which will be better structured, will learn from previously accumulated knowledge (e.g., heuristics, databases), and will use new methods for the generation and evaluation of the design alternatives.

This paper summarizes a study on the extent of computer use by industrialized housing producers in the U.S., Japan, Sweden and Norway. The study was directed at understanding industrialized housing production and energy decision making processes used by producers in order to set general criteria for new energy software tools and to make projections for future computer use in the industry. Computers' first penetrations into the U.S. housing industry were in component design and manufacture. U.S.