Building Commissioning

What is Building Commissioning?

The commission process is a quality-oriented process for achieving, verifying, and documenting that the performance of facilities, systems, and assemblies meets defined objectives. Ideally, the process begins at project inception and continues for the life of the facility. In practice, the commissioning process is often seen as an additional layer to the construction process instead of integrated into the project management. Commissioning is also often applied to only building mechanical systems and not the entire facility. Even in these cases the mechanical systems are not adequately verified to ensure that they meet, and continue to meet, the owners, occupants, and user requirements.

This systematic process typically includes:

	Building HVAC
	Controls
	Lighting
	Hot Water
	Security
	Fire, Life and Safety Systems

Total building commissioning often includes additional essential buildings systems such as the building's exterior wall, plumbing, acoustical and roofing systems. Commissioning these additional systems can reduce moisture penetration, infiltration and noise problems, and contribute to the building's energy and resource efficiency and occupant productivity

Successful commissioning results in optimal energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, reduced change orders during construction, extended systems life and reduced operation and maintenance costs, often paying for itself before construction is completed.

Retro-Commissioning

The commissioning process can be applied to existing buildings that have never been commissioned to restore them to optimal performance. Retro-commissioning is a systematic, documented process that identifies low-cost operational and maintenance improvements in existing buildings and brings the buildings up to the design intentions of its current usage.

Retro-commissioning typically focuses on energy-using equipment such as mechanical equipment, lighting and related controls and usually optimizes existing system performance, rather than relying on major equipment replacement, typically resulting in improved indoor air quality, comfort, controls, energy and resource efficiency.

Retro-commissioning typically includes an audit of the entire building including a study of past utility bills, interviews with facility personnel. Then diagnostic monitoring and functional tests of building systems are executed and analyzed. Building systems are retested and re-monitored to fine-tune improvements. This process helps find and repair operational problems. The identification of more complex problems are presented to the owner as well. A final report, re-commissioning plan and schedule are then given to the owner.

To learn more about any of our Building Commissioning Services, please call or email us!