WELCOME TO BUILDING COMMISSIONING 101 <Presenter name> Building Commissioning Association

1. WELCOME TOBUILDING COMMISSIONING101<Presenter name>Building Commissioning Association

2. What is the BCA? • The Building Commissioning Association is an international organization formed in 1998, made up of over 450 members. Members include Cx providers, building owners, energy companies, facility managers, architects, engineers and contractors. • The BCA’s goal is to achieve high professional standards, while allowing for the diverse and creative approaches to building commissioning that benefit our profession and clients.

3. Understandingthe Basic Commissioning Process

4. What is Building Commissioning? Building Commissioning is a quality assurance centered process of documentation, training, adjustment, testing, and verification, performed specifically to ensure that the finished facility operates in accordance with the owner’s documented project requirements and the construction documents. It begins in predesign and continues through design, construction, and the life of the facility.

5. Don’t I already pay for that? • Design Professional Agreement • doesn’t allow for Cx design time • doesn’t allow for Cx field time • Construction Contract • Cx requirements not specified • doesn’t require formal Cx program • doesn’t include performance criteria • doesn’t include witnessed tests • not a condition for final acceptance

6. Why do I need it? • Failure of traditional methods • Complexity • health, safety, indoor environmental quality • security • energy conservation • comfort control

7. Approaches • New Construction Commissioning • post-construction only • construction only • project-long • pre-design through occupancy • Retro-Commissioning • in existing, un-commissioned buildings • Recommissioning • in previously commissioned buildings

8. How Does Building Commissioning Help Me? • Improves comfort • Improves reliability • Improves air quality • Improves productivity • Improves equipment life • Improves maintainability • Improves energy performance

9. How Does Building Commissioning Help Me? • Quality assurance centered process • Prevents problems • Designers focus on owner needs • correct design issues early in design • improves specification • reduces RFI’s & change orders

10. How Does Building Commissioning Help Me? • Quality assurance centered process • Contractors focus on quality work • improves submittal process • timely delivery of O&M materials • catch errors at the start of installation • test finished work to verify quality

11. How Does Building Commissioning Help Me? • Identifies & corrects deficiencies • Design errors • Failed equipment • Installation errors • Poorly tuned controls • Improper control sequences

12. How Does Building Commissioning Help Me? • Sets clear measurable goals for everyone • Verifies goals are being met throughout the design and construction phases • Establishes accountability • Changes the way people perform • Allows contractors to measure success as well as deficiency

13. The Process of Commissioning • The commissioning process involves steps that are integrated into every phase of the project: • Pre-Design • Design • Construction • Acceptance • Warranty • The commissioning process is most effective when started early in the process. The Commissioning Authority has a great deal to contribute; particularly during pre-design and design phases. They can offer insights into the building systems that the owner and design team may not adequately address or were lost during the evolution of the design process. Commissioning is NOT just testing at the end.

14. TheCommissioningProcess New Construction

15. The Commissioning ProcessPre-Design • Decide to commission • Document owner’s project requirements • Scope & budget for commissioning • Select Commissioning Authority • Document commissioning plan • Commissioning in design professional agreements

16. The Commissioning Process Design • Refine scope of commissioning • Update commissioning plan • Document Basis of Design • Commissioning specifications • Include functional performance tests • Commissioning review • Design complies with OPR?

17. The Commissioning ProcessConstruction • Commissioning plan & schedule • Review controls • Write FPT procedures • Construction observation • Review O&M's & as-builts • Training • Test, correct & retest • Final report

18. The Commissioning ProcessPost-Occupancy • Maintenance management program • Adjust for occupancy • Off-season tests • Monitoring & verification • Continued training • Periodic re-commissioning

19. Typical Systems/Equipment to be Commissioned Scope of work is usually determined by the owner, however the following systems/equipment are typically included: Mechanical Systems • HVAC (Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Ducting & Accessories) • Piping Systems (Pipe, Valves, Gauges, etc.) • Plumbing (Piping and Fixtures) • DDC Controls (Software programming and Hardware) Electrical Systems • Switchgear/Transformers • Grounding/Bonding • Circuiting • Lighting and lighting control Specialty Systems • Security Systems and Fire Alarm • Voice/Data Systems • Building Envelope

20. Why is Commissioning Needed?

21. Typical Project Team Configuration Up to the Mid 1970’s Mech Engineer Elec. Engineer Architect General Contractor Elec. Contractor Mech. Contractor

22. Gaps between disciplines resulting in: • Poor coordination • Lost details • Costly change orders • Delays in schedule Typical Project Team Configuration After the Mid 1970’s Mech Engineer Elec. Engineer Architect General Contractor Data/Security/Misc. Fire Alarm Fire Protection Controls Contractor Elec. Contractor Mech. Contractor

23. “..yeah, they’re substantially complete, but…

24. New Project Team Configuration with Commissioning Commissioning helps fill the fills gaps in coordination Commissioning encompasses “All”

25. With Commissioning Design Phase Costs Construction Phase Costs First Year Warranty Period Costs The Economics of Commissioning If planned correctly and implemented early enough in the design process, commissioning can be included with little or no cost impact*. Without Commissioning Design Phase Costs Construction Phase Costs First Year Warranty Period Costs * Based on research findings from University of Wisconsin, ASERTTI Training Module, 1998

26. Costs of Commissioning • An Initial Budget Setting Thumb-Rule 2 % - 3 % of mechanical construction cost plus 1 % - 2 % of electrical construction cost (Based on six science building projects)

27. How The BCA Can Help • Member catalog (website) • Performance standards • Essential attributes • Elements of commissioning • Training • Experience exchange (e-forum)

28. Purpose ofBuilding Commissioning • It is BCA’s premise that, “ The basic purpose of building commissioning is to provide documented confirmation that building systems function in compliance with criteria set forth in the Project Documents to satisfy the owner’s operational needs. • Commissioning of existing systems may require the development of new functional criteria in order to address the owner’s current systems performance requirements.”

29. PO Box 2016 Edmonds, WA 98020 Voice:425.774.6909 Fax:425.771.9588 E-mail: bcxa@bcxa.org Web:www.bcxa.org