Building Commissioning: It’s a Process For a Reason Presented by Rick Scivally CHFM, CHSP, CBCP, LEED AP

Presentation Goals Provide a basic understanding of the commissioning process and the importance of following it Describe the importance of providing detailed information to all involved parties throughout the Commissioning Process

What is Building Commissioning ASHRAE Guideline , The Commissioning Process, defines commissioning as "a quality-oriented process for achieving, verifying, and documenting that the performance of facilities, systems and assemblies meet defined objectives and criteria".

Building Commissioning A building commissioning professional should be brought to the team right after the Architect and Design Engineers are selected. This is not absolutely necessary, but doing so will save numerous headaches, changes and potential increases in scope, design and construction fees down the road.

Commissioning Authority/Agent An entity identified by the Owner who leads, plans, schedules and coordinates the commissioning team to implement the Commissioning Process. Source: ASHRAE Guideline

Phases of the Commissioning Process Pre Design Design Construction Occupancy and Operations Continuous Commissioning

Pre-Design Phase Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) A written document that details the functional requirements of a project and the expectations of how it will be used and operated. These include project goals, measurable performance criteria, cost considerations, benchmarks, success criteria, and supporting information. Source: ASHRAE Guideline

Pre-Design Phase OPR Created by a multi-disciplinary team of end users, maintainers and senior management Can be created by the owner and owner's team members before any other contract Design Team members are selected Describes the systems and system components to be included in the commissioning process. Must be as specific and detailed as possible Includes how building performance will be monitored through measurement and verification Used to create the Basis of Design documents Must become a “living” document

Pre-Design Phase Examples of a Poor OPR All energy consuming devices shall be independently metered Energy consuming systems shall perform more efficiently than required by applicable energy codes/standards All building components and systems to be included in the commissioning process

Pre-Design Phase Basis of Design (BOD) A document that records the concepts, calculations, decisions, and product selections used to meet the Owner’s Project Requirements and to satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, standards, and guidelines. The document includes both narrative descriptions and lists of individual items that support the design process. Source: ASHRAE Guideline

Pre-Design Phase - BOD Created by the members of the Design Team, not just the Architect and Design Engineers Usually not as large of a group as required by the OPR Needs to include how performance of energy consuming systems will be measured and verified Is a “living” document that should reflect and change with the OPR

Pre-Design Phase Examples of a Poor BOD All HVAC systems are to be designed in accordance with all applicable ASRAE guidelines Occupied/unoccupied settings to be determined by owner after occupancy Mechanical contractor to determine sequence of operation of all mechanical systems Mechanical contractor to supply a fully functional and integrated automated HVAC control system

Design Phase Creation of commissioning specifications for systems/components to be included in the process Creation of contractor’s checklists Ongoing plan review against the OPR and BOD documents

Design Phase Commissioning Specifications Do Clearly define the expectations of contractor/subcontractors participation in the commissioning process Include all performance testing, checklist completion and documentation that will be required of the contractor/subcontractor Include Project Closeout requirements including training and O&M manual requirements Include 6 and 12 month warranty expiration performance verification requirements

Design Phase Commissioning Specifications Don't Repeat or emphasize penalty clauses for delays or retesting in the technical sections. These should be in the General Performance section. Name subcontractors by trade. Many organizations have several trades in their portfolio. Define who will witness testing beyond the owner or their representative.

Design Phase 3 Dimensional Energy Modeling A computer generated model to calculate anticipated sensible and latent heat loads, their relationships, environmental and physical conditions of the built environment, building use and occupancy in an effort to determine the energy consumption of a proposed structure and/or system and the effects design modifications may have on it.

Design Phase 3 Dimensional Energy Modeling Input Elements Mechanical Systems Total Building Envelope Building Orientation Building Location and Elevation Building Use and Occupancy Type Heat Relationships and Transfer Slab to Ground, Floor to Floor, Through the Roof and Side to Side Other Exterior Conditions That may Effect Energy Consumption

Design Phase 3 Dimensional Energy Modeling These two show the ability to view the building by construction type; figure on the left is “standard” view, figure on the right uses color to denote different wall, roof, and window construction assemblies. In this example, half of level 1, and levels 2 and 3 are parking garage.

Design Phase 3 Dimensional Energy Modeling This shows the end-use consumption profile, graphed by hour, so you can see the hourly consumption fluctuation for various end-uses. These are the peak days for a six month period of time.

Design Phase 3 Dimensional Energy Modeling This shows which end-uses (lighting, cooling, etc.) are using the most electricity/gas, by month Energy Modeling Data Provided Courtesy of Telios Engineers and Consultants

Commissioning During Construction Issues log to be created and reviewed at all construction meetings Checklist completed by installing contractors. A percent of system components should be evaluated by the Commissioning Agent. Installation methods and quality of systems to be commissioned are inspected and verified System performance and operation is verified during and after substantial completion Controls point to point checks TAB

Commissioning During Construction – Most Common Issues Flex duct is crimped Metal duct is not fully insulated. Pay special attention to duct top and hard to reach locations Smoke/fire dampers are not installed correctly Access and service doors are blocked or inaccessible Location of supply diffusers and return grills Temperature set up/back not working properly Temperature and lighting occupied/unoccupied settings not working properly Software programming issues

Occupancy and Operations Corrections of outstanding issues Issues log still in use Staff training on proper use of building control, systems and components Next season operation and performance verification Performance and operations verification prior to the 12 month warranty expiration Final Commissioning report issued

Continuous Commissioning A continuation of the Commissioning Process well into the Occupancy and Operations Phase to verify that a project continues to meet current and evolving Owner’s Project Requirements. Continuous Commissioning Process activities are ongoing for the life of the facility. Source: ASHRAE Guideline

Cost of Commissioning Commissioning new buildings range from 0.5 percent of the total construction cost for relatively simple projects such as office buildings to 7.5 for complex laboratories and medical facilities This does not include potential additional cost associated with design changes such as additional metering devices for M&V. Source: National Institute of Building Sciences

Cost of Not Commissioning There are numerous white papers on commissioning and return on investment available on the internet. There have also been numerous studies published which identify the cost of not properly commissioning a building and the importance of continuous commissioning once all of the upfront work has been done.

Questions?