1. BUILDING COMMISSIONING:
The Value of Commissioning
CaGBC Building Advisor Program
John Kokko, P.Eng., CCP, LEED AP Doron Weiss, P. Eng. M. Sc
kokkoJ@mmm.ca weissd@mmm.ca
519-743-8777 x2424 905-882-4211 x 3026
2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
What is building
commissioning
What are the steps required by
LEED
Why is it important
What results can we expect
3. NEW BUILDING CX
LEED Credits
EAp1 – Fundamental Cx (Prerequisite)
Deals mainly with construction and getting the building operating before
hand-over
EAc3 - Enhanced Cx (Credit)
Deals with design and post occupancy operation
4. WHAT IS NEW BUILD COMMISSIONING
• A quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The
process focuses upon verifying and documenting that the facility and all of
its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested,
operated and maintained to meet the Owner’s Project Requirements.
Hands over a
building that gives the
owner what he paid for.
5. EPPUR SI MUOVE - And yet it moves
Despite its 30-year history in the United States, and
hundreds of millions of square feet of floor area
commissioned, most mainstream industry professionals
would be hard-pressed to define building
commissioning. A vanishingly small fraction of
building owners/managers know what it is. Even
efforts to explain it can leave many listener mystified.
9. NAME FROM SHIP BUILDING
A commissioned ship is one deemed ready for service.
Must pass several milestones.
Equipment is installed and tested, problems are identified and
corrected, and staff are extensively trained.
A commissioned ship is one whose materials, systems, and staff have
successfully completed a thorough quality assurance process.
Commissioned ship is one ready to sail safely and reliably
10. VISION OF COMMISSIONING
Take the owner’s needs and wants
► Ensure requirements properly articulated
Through the minds of the consultants
► Ensure designs properly reflect OPR
Through the hands of suppliers and contractors
► Ensure building is properly built
Deliver a properly performing building
► Ensure all systems operate as intended
11. Expectations
Owner
Is receiving the best project that money spent can buy
Complete the project on time and on budget
Consultant
Construction documents are comprehensible and easy to build
Contractor
Complete the project efficiently and with no call-backs
Commissioning Authority
To get the support and cooperation needed from all stakeholders
for a successful project
O&M Personnel
To get the training and documentation needed to easily and
effectively operate and maintain the building
12. WHY IS COMMISSIONING NEEDED
Don’t the design and construction teams already
do this?
Everyone wants to do a good job.
But two constrains:
1. Scope included with fees
2. Knowledge of the state-of-the-art
Low price generally gets the job
Designers responsible for code
Site review for conformance to
drawings and specs
Not performance beyond obvious
faults and complaints after the fact
13. UP-TO-DATE KNOWLEDGE
Innovation moving extremely fast
Innovative equipment and
systems are relatively unfamiliar
to designers, contractors,
operators and even
manufacturers agents
Energy efficiency, integrated
systems, imported design
concepts and computerization
have multiplied levels of
complexity
15. ADDED COMPLICATIONS
Radiant heating
Radiant cooling
Condensing boiler
Water-side economizer
Building automation systems
16. INNOVATION INCREASING EXPONENTIALLY
Direct and indirect evaporative cooling
Optimum start
Cascading PID loops
Stratified thermal storage
Day lighting control
Integration
And on and on and on ….
17. CONVENTIONAL COMMISSIONING
• Start-up and basic check out of equipment
• Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB)
• Begins after systems in and ready for
start-up
• Verify individual components function as
components
• Performed by installing contractor or
manufacturers rep
18. TOTAL COMMISSIONING (LEED™)
A systematic quality assurance program
Starts at concept design and concludes at end of
warranty
Includes all phases concept design, detailed design,
construction, start-up, 1 year operation
Commissioning verifies energy performance and
comfort maintenance
19. TOTAL COMMISSIONING (LEED™)
Includes reviews
through all stages
Includes participation
of consultants, trades,
O&M staff
Includes detailed reviews
design, shop draw, install
Expanded installation
verification and start-up checks
O&M documentation more centralized
Whole system performance vs. component checks
20. VALUE OF Cx
Largest study to date
Evan Mills, Ph.D LBNL July 2009
http://cx.lbl.gov/2009-assessment.html
643 buildings, 26 US states
561 existing and 82 new buildings
37 Cx firms
99 M ft2, $2.2 B construct
90.4 M ft2 existing, 8.8 M ft2 new construction
$43 M Cx costs
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
21. NEW BUILDING Cx MEDIANS
Cx cost, $1.16/ft2 or 0.4% of overall construct cost
($290/ft2) (Range $0.60 - $2.15)
Number of deficiencies identified, 3,528
(about 1/3 of projects reported deficiencies)
Energy savings 13% (Range 9% - 29%)
Payback time, 4.2 years (Range 1.7 to 11.4 yrs)
22. AREAS OF BENEFIT
Construction Cost Savings
Equipment downsizing and trade-offs
Energy Savings - $0.05 to $0.45/ft2
Peak demand reductions
Maintenance and replacement costs reduced
Increased productivity and reduced liability
Indoor environmental quality maintenance
24. LEED Cx OUTLINE
Design and Construction Phases EAp1 – Fundamental Cx EAc3 – Enhanced Cx
Design Owner documents OPR Before 50% CD Owner designates
CxA
Construction Documents Designers incorporate Cx specs into
Construction Docs
CxA presents Cx Plan
50% CD CxA conducts 50% design review
Post Contract Award Owner designates CxA
CxA presents Cx Plan
CxA reviews shop drawings
Installation CxA performs/oversees installation
verification
Start-up CxA performs/oversees functional
testing
CxA reviews O&M Manuals
CxA oversees staff training
Substantial Completion CxA prepares Draft Final Report CxA prepares Systems Manual
Post Construction CxA performs/oversees defered
testing
Occupancy CxA delivers Final Report CxA provides Warranty and
occupant concerns review
25. OWNER & DESIGN TEAM DOCUMENTATION
Owners Project Requirements (OPR)
► Owner and User requirements
► Environmental sustainability goals
► Energy efficiency goals
► Indoor environmental quality requirements
► Equipment and systems expectations
► Building occupant & O&M personnel requirements
Basis of Design (BoD)
► Primary design assumptions
► Standards
► Narrative descriptions
26. Cx DURING DESIGN
Work with design team to define measurable energy and
indoor environmental quality goals
Discuss alternatives to traditional design solutions
Provide support for unfamiliar technologies
Review to verify design meets objectives and technologies
properly implemented
Review to verify equipment specified meets goals and
objectives
27. COMMON DESIGN ISSUES
No design target for energy use
Lighting power density not identified
No heat recovery
Condensing boilers not considered
Variable speed pumps and fans
not incorporated
20°F rather than 40°F design
temp drop design used
Undersized piping and
ductwork
28. Cx PLAN
Overview of Cx Process
List of equipment and systems to be Cx
Cx Team and responsibilities
Management, Communication and Reporting Overview
Cx Process Overview (Outline above)
List of deliverables
Milestones
29. Cx MEMBERS & RESPONSIBILITIES
COMMISSIONING AGENT
Owner’s rep leading commissioning
Reviews and produces most paperwork
Directs testing
Ensures LEED™ requirements are met
OWNER
Provide support as required to ensure Cx
proceeds smoothly
FM Staff?
Consultants
Provide documentation as required for review
Attend commissioning meetings as required
30. GENERAL CONTRACTOR
► Ensures contractors meet commissioning
requirements
M&E CONTRACTORS
► Completes start-up, installation verification lists
► Operates equipment for Performance Testing
► Produces O&M manuals, Provides owner training
CONTROLS CONTRACTOR
► Operate controls for Performance Testing, produce
O&M materials for controls
Cx MEMBERS & RESPONSIBILITIES
31. Cx SPECIFICATIONS
Contractor responsibilities
Submittal review process
Meetings
IVC process
Start-up process
Balancing reviews
FPT process
O&M manuals requirements
Training requirements
Warranty review
32. Cx DURING CONSTRUCTION
Verify equipment installed per drawings and
specs, manuf’rs requirements and proper
industry practice and standards
Verify equipment is, set-up, adjusted,
balanced, controlled and operated to provide
expected comfort and energy performance
Provide owner complete systems O&M docs
Provide owner’s operating personnel
adequate training to understand, operate and
maintain equipment
33. COMMON INSTALLATION ISSUES
Coils piped backward
Maintenance access not
provided
Pumps with shaft oriented
improperly
Thermostats located adjacent
to heating/cooling diffusers
Insulation missing
Sensors improperly located
34. COMMON FUNCTIONAL TESTING ISSUES
Controls functions not
matching sequence
VFDs do not modulate
Outdoor damper minimum
position
Control valve action reversed
35. TRAINING TOPICS
General purpose of system
Use of O&M manuals
Operation of systems under all conditions
Interaction with other systems
Adjustments and optimization for efficiency
Health and safety
Special maintenance and replacement resources
Occupant interaction
Controls training
36. SYSTEMS MANUAL
Final BoD
System single line diagrams
As-Built sequences, set-points, etc.
System operating instructions
Maintenance schedule
Retesting schedule
37. Cx AFTER OCCUPANCY
Follow trends on BAS to ensure ongoing operation
Completion of deficiencies remaining after
construction
Follow-up on warranty issues arising
Follow up on occupant concerns during warranty
and first year occupancy
Verify that issues are cleaned up by the end of
warranty
38. FINAL REPORT
OPR
Design and shops review summary
Cx specifications
IVC results
FPT results
O&M evaluation
Value achieved through Cx
Outstanding issues
39. MMM Group Limited
100 Commerce Valley Drive West
Thornhill, ON Canada L3T 0A1
t: 905.882.1100 | f: 905.882.0055
e: mmm@mmm.ca