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What Is Commissioning

September 2011
By Richard A. Farkas, CCP, CxA and Craig A. Ruark, LEED AP (BD+C)

The rising energy costs and focus on indoor air quality have increased building owner awareness of deficiencies in building system performance. A key method of enhancing the performance of new or existing building systems is to perform building commissioning. According to the Lawrence Berkeley Institute, the Commissioning Process has demonstrated statistically to produce the highest Return On Investment (ROI) of any sustainable strategy.

So the question is: What is Commissioning?

The term “Commissioning” is synonymous with “Building Commissioning”, which is a process of testing and documentation to confirm that a building’s systems function according to criteria set forth in the project design documents and satisfy the owner’s operational needs.

The individual that leads and oversees the Commissioning Process is called the Commissioning Authority (CxA) and is hired by the Owner of the project as an independent advocate. There are currently seven organizations that certify individuals to perform Commissioning.

The Commissioning Authority is the leader of the commissioning team and is responsible for planning, organizing, and facilitating the completion of the commissioning process on behalf of the owner. In addition to having good technical knowledge of the systems being commissioned, the CxA must also have a complete understanding of the commissioning process and possess the organizational, documentation, communications, and team-building skills that are necessary to lead and coordinate an effective commissioning team and to ensure that the intent of the building owner is achieved.

"The aim of commissioning new buildings is to ensure that they deliver, if not exceed, the performance and energy savings promised by their design. When applied to existing buildings, commissioning identifies the almost inevitable “drift” from where things should be and puts the building back on course. In both contexts, commissioning is a systematic, forensic approach to quality assurance, rather than a technology per se. Although commissioning has earned increased recognition in recent years—even a toehold in Wikipedia—it remains an enigmatic practice whose visibility severely lags its potential."
Evan Mills, Ph.D., Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Ideally, Commissioning begins during the conceptual phase of a project and continues well into the postoccupancy phase of a buildings life. This is a very important distinction as Commissioning is far more than mere startup verification. Commissioning is a “process”, not an event.

The term Commissioning refers to new construction. However, Commissioning is used at other times as well. Retro-commissioning refers to existing buildings and is the process applied to a building that has not previously received the rigors of Commissioning; Re-commissioning also applies to existing buildings/facilities but is the tune-up process performed on a building that has previously undergone the Commissioning Process. Ongoing Commissioning is the continuation of commissioning by applying a structured approach to maintaining the functional performance of the building to maintain the investment.

In addition to the design team specifications and the Owner’s Project Requirements, the Commissioning Team uses accepted standards (such as ASHRAE Guideline 1-2007 and 0-2005 for example), and manufacturers specifications in a structured process that evaluates the buildings designed performance against actual performance after the construction is complete. To meet that goal, design reviews are performed periodically (mid-construction and prior to issuance of construction documents) by the commissioning team to confirm that design decisions impacting the long-term performance and maintainability of the facility meet the owner’s objectives.

After construction is substantially complete, the Commissioning team will develop a Systems Manual (to be included in the building Operation and Maintenance Manual), that will serve as a reference for operational benchmarks and as a tool to manage day-to-day operations of the facility. This Systems Manual is an invaluable tool for defining the performance benchmarks required for ongoing commissioning efforts.

During the occupancy and operations phase of the Commissioning contract, a building walkthrough (10 months after occupation of the facility), is conducted. During this walkthrough, employees will be interviewed and asked about air quality, thermal comfort, lighting and other indoor environmental issues that create an unpleasant work environment. This process identifies performance issues experienced by the owner and/or tenant occupants that can be corrected before the contractor’s warranty expires.

So what are the advantages to 3rd Party Commissioning?

In addition to being a prerequisite to becoming LEED® certified, commissioning benefits also include:

• Projects are more often completed on time and with an overall cost savings, when you consider firstyear remedial actions.

• The design team becomes more familiar with owner requirements, and system installation techniques and procedures enabling them to become more involved with assisting in problem identification and resolution.

• Fewer project delays - The contractor is able to identify problems early and meet the project schedule.

• Reduce the likelihood that serious building systems problems will emerge during the warranty period. It is difficult enough to take corrective action during the warranty period, let alone afterward.

• Minimize complaints concerning dysfunctional control systems, thermal discomfort, and poor indoor air quality thus leading to improved productivity.

• Verification that the building management staff is provided with adequate documentation and the training to properly operate and maintain systems.

• Documented record of the execution of the functional performance procedures.

• Indoor air quality is improved – deficiencies in the HVAC system are discovered early and corrected before building occupancy, and before the building gains a history or reputation of being "sick".

• Energy consumption is optimized. A well-tuned system consumes less fuel, e.g. gas and electricity. A properly commissioned building assures that its internal systems are operating at peak performance.

• There is less reactive repair at project completion, and fewer callbacks. There is increased efficiency in system installation, startup, operation, testing, and training, resulting in cost savings.

• Managed startup procedures

• Documented chronology of events and results

• Value-added construction quality

• Complete documentation

• Shorter building turnover transition periods

• Increased satisfaction with a project.

In conclusion, one could argue that Commissioning is more than “just another energy-saving measure.” It is a risk-management strategy that is integral to any systematic energy and money saving approach to designing and constructing a building.

While Commissioning has been around for decades as a process of putting into operation large factories, ships and other highly sophisticated and technical structures, it has been underutilized as a process for general office, warehouse or retail type buildings. Some of the reasons for this underutilization include a widespread lack of awareness of need and value provided to the building owners.

The Commissioning process ensures that building owners get what they paid for by managing construction related risks (e.g. insufficient professionalism within the trades, fragmented activities and competition among a growing number of trade groups, etc), while reaping energy savings or emissions reductions.

A common misperception is that commissioning is not cost-effective, when in fact independent studies and statistics substantially prove otherwise. The decision of selecting a qualified Commissioning Authority should be driven by value and not price. Remember, it isn’t a bargain if you have to do it again and pay for it again!