Property management companies are well familiar with the activities and responsibilities that come with building ownership: design, permitting, construction, maintenance, and the occasional demolition or major renovation. However, the commissioning process is also important but often overlooked. Many buildings have never been commissioned, leading to poor equipment performance and higher ownership costs. The comfort and health of occupants may also be negatively affected.
What is commissioning?
In simple terms, commissioning (abbreviated as Cx) is a process that maintains buildings in optimal operating conditions. This is achieved by comparing actual operation to a series of predefined metrics and making necessary corrections when a build system fails. To make commissioning possible, there are two important requirements:
- Establish a performance baseline, serve as a reference for construction systems. You can't evaluate building performance if there are no metrics to compare it to.
- Define how performance will be reported. Communication between design consultants , contractors and maintenance departments is much simpler when documentation is standardized.
Based on when commissioning is carried out and the construction conditions existing at that time, different names are used when referring to it:
- When the term commissioning (Cx) is used by itself, generally applies to new buildings, and is performed during design and construction. Typically, the most intensive commissioning work is carried out after construction is completed but before operations begin.
- Retrocommissioning (RCx) applies to existing buildings that have never been commissioned before. It also applies if a building was commissioned a long time ago, but there has been no follow-up work and performance has declined.
- Recommissioning (ReCx) applies to buildings that are commissioned at regular intervals. Typically, this process is simpler than commissioning or retro-commissioning a new building.
Commissioning as an investment in your property
Commissioning tends to have a very high return on investment and a short payback period. of less than a year is feasible. This is because commissioning mainly consists of inspection, analysis, control adjustments and low-cost repairs, and there are no large capital expenditures.
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Correcting performance problems during the design phase of a project is cheaper than modifying completed work, and proactive maintenance is less expensive than resolving problems after they occur. Commissioning can be considered an investment, given its long-term benefits in terms of building performance. Commissioning also makes energy efficiency measures more valuable, preventing a decline in energy savings over time.
With modern communication technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT), the concept of monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) becomes possible. Unlike normal recommissioning, where construction issues are detected and corrected at regular intervals, MBCx detects issues in real time or even proactively. This allows for quick action and performance drops are corrected when their impact is still small.
How performance tests are performed
The testing procedure applied during commissioning can be divided into pre-functional and functional performance testing.
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PERFORMANCE TEST |
DESCRIPTION |
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Pre-functional |
Building equipment is separately tested for correct location, installation procedure, and labeling. The procedure also includes control systems and software. |
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Functional |
Complete building systems are tested for overall performance and proper interaction. Tests are performed under a variety of possible conditions during normal operation and during emergencies. |
Main benefits of commissioning
Commissioning not only reduces the energy consumption of building systems; it also prevents costly breakdowns and creates better indoor conditions for occupants. Also consider that indoor comfort and air quality lead to greater productivity in business environments.
The following table summarizes the main benefits achieved with commissioning:
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TO BENEFIT |
DESCRIPTION |
|
1) Optimization and efficiency |
Construction systems can sustain the operating conditions specified in the design documents and ownership costs are kept low. In a study of 643 buildings, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory determined that commissioning reduces energy costs by 16% in existing buildings and 13% in new buildings (on average). |
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2) Better comfort and indoor air quality |
Occupants feel better, both in terms of physical health and mood. For companies, this leads to increased productivity and profit margins. Some examples of performance issues that affect comfort are extreme temperatures, extreme humidity, excessive ventilation speed, unpleasant odors and noises. |
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3) Longer useful life of buildings and equipment |
Building repairs and equipment replacements are expensive and disruptive. With commissioning, its frequency is drastically reduced. |
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4) Get to know the buildings better |
Because commissioning involves documentation, it provides a clear picture of operating conditions. Maintenance can be scheduled more effectively and problem areas are kept under closer surveillance. Troubleshooting also becomes much simpler. |
Reactive maintenance has been the traditional approach in buildings – fixing problems as soon as they occur. However, this can quickly deplete maintenance budgets and small problems go unnoticed. Commissioning provides overall financial benefits, increasing profit margins and reducing O&M expenses.
Is commissioning mandatory in New York City?
Although commissioning is recommended even when optional, there are cases where it is required by New York law.
- Commissioning is mandated by the New York Energy Conservation Code in buildings that exceed certain equipment capacity limits.
- All buildings covered by Local Law 87 of the Bigger and Greener Buildings Plan must be recommissioned at intervals no longer than 10 years.
When a building experiences a gradual decline in performance and rising costs, which cannot be attributed to a specific building system, commissioning is highly recommended. If you are unsure whether your property is subject to mandatory commissioning under New York law, consulting a qualified engineering consultant is the best solution.
