Meeting Expectations

There is no guarantee that all building systems, even the most advanced, will function as designed and intended. But performing commissioning at the end of a project (and continually thereafter) can help ensure that a building performs in accordance with the design intent, contract documents and the owner’s operational needs, and delivers low operating costs. (Commissioning can also be used in restoring older buildings, in which case it is called retro-commissioning.)

“The need for commissioning cannot be overstated,” said Sam Khalilieh, senior VP engineering, WD Partners, Columbus, Ohio. “It helps to identify common deficiencies such as design flaws, construction defects, malfunctioning equipment and, in some instances, deferred maintenance.”

Many industry experts contend that the sophistication of building designs and the complexity of building systems constructed today make commissioning a necessary. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory conducted a study of 60 new buildings and found that 50% of the buildings had controls issues; 40% had HVAC issues; 15% had missing or incomplete equipment; and 25% had energy management systems, building-automation systems, controllers and variable-frequency drives that did not function the way they were intended.

Traditionally, commissioning was primarily associated with the process of testing and balancing (T&B) a building’s HVAC systems based on specific standards. But it has come a long way since then.

“Today’s building commissioning has developed into a more formal and meticulous quality-assurance process of articulating and verifying that all of the building’s systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, automation, refrigeration and environmental, perform as they were intended to and meet the operational needs of the owner,” Khalilieh explained. “It recognizes the integrated nature of building systems and impacts energy savings, environment, public health, workplace productivity and security.”

In fact, commissioning is so important to sustainability that the U.S. Green Building Council made fundamental commissioning a pre-requisite for LEED certification. (Fundamental commissioning is designed to ensure and verify that the building’s energy-related systems are installed, calibrated and perform according to the owner’s project requirements, basis of design and construction requirements.)

“The LEED-certification process offers an additional credit for enhanced commissioning, which involves a more integrated approach,” Khalilieh noted. “To comply with the enhanced requirements, an independent commissioning authority directs the development of documentation and supervises the development of the OPR [owner program requirements] and the basis of design typically prepared by the owner and design team.”

When properly planned, commissioning is initiated in the planning phase and continues through construction-document and build-out phases. It is typically performed by an independent third party, Khalilieh said.

Cost: According to the Oregon Department of Energy, the cost of building commissioning is about 1% of the total cost of the project, while operational costs range from 8% to 20% lower than for non-commissioned buildings.

“Those who balk at the perceived high cost of commissioning should consider the cost of correcting deficiencies, the costs of inefficient operations, lost revenue and unhappy employees and customers,” Khalilieh said.

The bottom line is simple, at least according to the engineering VP.

“A properly commissioned building is likely to have fewer complaints from occupants, lower energy costs, improved IAQ and improved equipment performance,” Khalilieh said.