For control purposes a linear model is often used to describe the behavior of HVAC plants. This article from Switzerland describes a method for calculating the parameters of delay time, time lag and gain. A model step (or pulse response) is calculated analytically as a function of the parameters and is fitted to a measured step by a Fletcher-Powell-Davidon optimization. One example shows the method used to evaluate the relation between the parameters and the operating point of a heater battery; the other describes how a PID controller is adjusted automatically using the identified parameters.