BUILDING COMMISSIONING:

The Value of Commissioning

CaGBC Building Advisor Program

October, 2012
John Kokko, P.Eng., CCP, LEED AP
jkokko@enermodal.com
519-743-8777 x2424

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
What is building
commissioning
What are the steps required by
LEED
Why is it important
What results can we expect

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

WHAT IS NEW BUILD COMMISSIONING

Definition:
To bring a new project or facility on line
?
?
?
Hands over a
building that gives the
owner what he paid for.

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

VISION OF COMMISSIONING
Take the owners 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

BUILDING Cx = QC FOR CARS?

Similar to a QC
process for cars
Note similarities in:
Work area
Tools
Assembly
techniques
Workers
responsibilities

WHY IS COMMISSIONING NEEDED

Dont the design and construction teams already

do this?
Everyone wants to do a good job.
But two constrains:
1.
2.

Scope included with fees

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

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

WHAT IS INNOVATION
MULTIPLE MARRIED TECHNOLOGIES

ADDED COMPLICATIONS

Radiant heating
Radiant cooling
Condensing boiler
Water-side economizer
Building automation systems

INNOVATION INCREASING EXPONENTIALLY

Direct and indirect evaporative cooling
Optimum start
Cascading PID loops
Stratified thermal storage
Daylighting control
LON and BACnet
Integration
And on and on and on .

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

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

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

COMMISSIONING COMPARISON
TOTAL COMMISSIONING

TRADITIONAL COMMISSIONING

Concept Design Reviews

No Cx. Consultant self-checks.

Detailed Design Reviews

No Cx. Consultant self-checks.

Shop Drawing Reviews

No Cx. Dwgs & specs met only.

Site Installation Verification

No Cx. Dwgs & specs met only.

Equipment Start-Up Verification Contractor or Manufacturer only. No

systems interoperability
Balancing Verification

No Cx. Contractor self-checks.

Functional Performance Test

No Cx. Contractor self-checks.

Documentation and Operator

Training

No Cx. Contractor self-checks.

Owner verifies acceptability.

Trending and Seasonal FPT

Contractor seldom returns

Warranty and Occupant

concerns

No Cx. Respond to complaints only.

VALUE OF Cx
Largest study to date
Mills, 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

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)

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

Carbon emissions reductions

COMMISSIONING PROCESS OVERVIEW

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

Installation

CxA performs/oversees installation

verification

Start-up

CxA performs/oversees functional

testing

CxA reviews shop drawings

CxA reviews O&M Manuals

CxA oversees staff training
Substantial Completion

CxA prepares Draft Final Report

Post Construction

CxA performs/oversees defered

testing

Occupancy

CxA delivers Final Report

CxA prepares Systems Manual

CxA provides Warranty and

occupant concerns review

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

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

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
ECM motors not incorporated
20F rather than 40F design
temp drop design used
Undersized piping and
ductwork

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

Cx MEMBERS & RESPONSIBILITIES

COMMISSIONING AGENT
Owners 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

Cx MEMBERS & RESPONSIBILITIES

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 SPECIFICATIONS
Contractor responsibilities
Submittal review process
Meetings
IVC process
Start-up process
Balancing reviews
FPT process
O&M manuals requirements
Training requirements
Warranty review

Cx DURING CONSTRUCTION

Verify equipment installed per drawings and

specs, manufrs 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 owners operating personnel
adequate training to understand, operate and
maintain equipment

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

COMMON FUNCTIONAL TESTING ISSUES

Controls functions not
matching sequence
VFDs do not modulate
Outdoor damper minimum
position
Control valve action reversed

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

SYSTEMS MANUAL
Final BoD
System single line diagrams
As-Built sequences, set-points, etc.
System operating instructions
Maintenance schedule
Retesting schedule

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

FINAL REPORT

OPR
Design and shops review summary
Cx specifications
IVC results
FPT results
O&M evaluation
Value achieved through Cx
Outstanding issues

MULTI-FUNTION AHU
DESIGN ISSUES
Dehumidifying only
outdoor air reduces size of
equipment and increases
efficiency of equipment
Using heat recovery to
reduce load on cooling coil
Using indirect evaporative
cooler to increase HX effy
humidity carried outdoors

MULTI-FUNCTION AHU

INSTALLATION ISSUES
No radiation shield on sensor by flame
No maintenance access to some
sensors
Installation of single point sensor
where averaging required
Reset button set tight and vibration
causing unit to cut out
Overloads not set properly

BOILERS
DESIGN ISSUES

No check valves would

required both boilers operate in
parallel

Independent controllers would

not have been coordinated

Primary only loop with DHW

would have required
continuous minimum 160F

BOILER
INSTALLATION ISSUES

Water treatment eliminated by

aluminum boiler manufacturer. But
piping not protected
OA reset not programmed
because tech believed it would not
save energy
Control sensor located in single
boiler supply rather than common
header

RETIREMENT RESIDENCE

HVAC SYSTEM

Ground loop coupled distributed heat pumps with

supplemental gas-fired heating.
One AHU with heat recovery and HP htg/clg for fresh air
distribution to corridors and common areas
One AHU with WLHP htg/clg for Kitchen
Individual HRVs for ventilation and WLHPs for htg/clg in
each room

RETIREMENT HOME
DESIGN ISSUES

Heat injection before rather

than after ground loop

Moved to eliminate boiler

heating ground

HX between building loop and

ground loop removed

Reduced capital cost and

increased efficiency

RETIREMENT HOME Contd

Dedicated DHW heaters

simplified boiler loop controls,
allowed summer shutdown
and allowed primary loop OA
reset and condensing
Cascading different
temperature loops ensured
cold return water temps
40F temp rise drop reduced
pipe and pump sizing

AIR HANDLER
SHOP DRAWING REVIEW FINDINGS
1. 3 re-submittals of heat wheel shop drawings required
before a workable defrost strategy provided.
2. Shop drawing coil performance based on water while
system will used propylene glycol.
3. Coils have greater air-side and water-side pressure
drops than specified.
4. Controls sequences were carbon copy of engineers
general wording rather than converting to specifics that
can be programmed.
Heat wheel, heating coil and cooling coils shall be
sequenced to provide energy efficient operation

SERVICES and REPAIR BUILDING

HVAC SYSTEM
Ground Source Heat Pump
Radiant floor heating
Dedicated outdoor air ventilation with heat recovery
Supplemental fan coils for cooling

SERVICE and REPAIR BUILDING

HVAC System

SMALL SERVICES BUILDING

Functional Testing
System relied on heat pump circulator but never
programmed to operate when heat pump off
PID loops needed tuning to provide stable operation
Radiant floor valve found with wire not connected leaving
valve open and space overheating

SERVICE AND REPAIR BUILDING CASE STUDY

FUNCTIONAL TEST
Storage room hot, office cool. Found crossed floor loops. Office
tstat controlling floor heat in storage room. Loops not labelled

Heat pump constantly tripping. Supplier blamed system but did not
measure any parameters. Cx measurements showed water flows
ok. Heat pump diagnostics finally found faulty TX valve and low
refrigerant.

Controls are probably the single most important item in ensuring

successful system operation for comfort and energy savings.

CC programmed system heating water temps lower than

specified because this works better
Improperly programmed 24 hr moving average outdoor temp
caused the system to flip-flop between heating and cooling

REAL PERFORMANCE
What is the energy use of typical buildings?
800
700
600

Annual
Energy
ekWh/m2

500
400
300
200
100
Alldata(exceptGoG)from
NRCanSurvey(CIBEUS,2000).

0
AllBldgs C&IAccom Offices
(ON)
(ON)
(ON)

Offices
(CAN)

GoG

RETIREMENT RESIDENCE A
Actual Performance
300

Annual
Energy
ekWh/m2

250

200

150

100

50

Simulated

Floor Area = 5348 m2

Actual
0
Dec'04(SL)

Nov'05(SL)

Nov'05(CBIP)

Jul'06(Review) Apr'07toMar'08

RETIREMENT RESIDENCE B
Actual Performance
250

200

Annual
Energy
ekWh/m2

150

100

50

Floor Area = 11702 m2

Simulated
Actual
0
Aug'04(SL)

Feb'06(CBIP)

Aug'06(Review)

Aug'07toFeb'08

LABORATORY BUILDING
Actual Performance
500
Simulated
Actual
400

Annual
Energy
ekWh/m2

300

200

100

Floor Area = 9350 m2

0
Aug'04(SL)

Aug'06(CBIP)

Feb'07(Review)

Dec'07toFeb'08

MartoMay'08

COMPARISON
Actual energy use compared to typical buildings
800
700
600
Annual
Energy

500

ekWh/m2 400

300
200
100
0
AllBldgs C&IAccom Offices
(ON)
(ON)
(ON)

Offices
(CAN)

GoG

Building
VA
A

Building
SSJ
B

Building
KPHQ
C

Building
TRCA
D

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