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

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WELCOME TOBUILDING COMMISSIONING101ltPresente
r namegtBuilding Commissioning Association
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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 BCAs goal is to achieve high professional
  standards, while allowing for the diverse and
  creative approaches to building commissioning
  that benefit our profession and clients.

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Understanding the Basic Commissioning Process
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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 owners
  documented project requirements and the
  construction documents. It begins in predesign
  and continues through design, construction, and
  the life of the facility.

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Dont I already pay for that?

• Design Professional Agreement
• doesnt allow for Cx design time
• doesnt allow for Cx field time
• Construction Contract
• Cx requirements not specified
• doesnt require formal Cx program
• doesnt include performance criteria
• doesnt include witnessed tests
• not a condition for final acceptance

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Why do I need it?

• Failure of traditional methods
• Complexity
• health, safety, indoor environmental quality
• security
• energy conservation
• comfort control

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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

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How Does Building Commissioning Help Me?

• Improves comfort
• Improves reliability
• Improves air quality
• Improves productivity
• Improves equipment life
• Improves maintainability
• Improves energy performance

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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 RFIs change orders

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How Does Building Commissioning Help Me?

• Quality assurance centered process
• Contractors focus on quality work
• improves submittal process
• timely delivery of OM materials
• catch errors at the start of installation
• test finished work to verify quality

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How Does Building Commissioning Help Me?

• Identifies corrects deficiencies
• Design errors
• Failed equipment
• Installation errors
• Poorly tuned controls
• Improper control sequences

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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

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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.
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TheCommissioningProcess

• New Construction

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The Commissioning ProcessPre-Design

• Decide to commission
• Document owners project requirements
• Scope budget for commissioning
• Select Commissioning Authority
• Document commissioning plan
• Commissioning in design professional agreements

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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?

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The Commissioning ProcessConstruction

• Commissioning plan schedule
• Review controls
• Write FPT procedures
• Construction observation
• Review OM's as-builts
• Training
• Test, correct retest
• Final report

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The Commissioning Process Post-Occupancy

• Maintenance management program
• Adjust for occupancy
• Off-season tests
• Monitoring verification
• Continued training
• Periodic re-commissioning

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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

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Why is Commissioning Needed?
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Typical Project Team Configuration Up to the Mid
1970s
Mech Engineer
Elec. Engineer
Architect
General Contractor
Elec. Contractor
Mech. Contractor
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Typical Project Team Configuration After the Mid
1970s
Mech Engineer
Elec. Engineer
Architect
General Contractor
Data/Security/Misc.
Fire Alarm
Fire Protection
Controls Contractor
Elec. Contractor
Mech. Contractor
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..yeah, theyre substantially complete, but
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New Project Team Configuration with Commissioning
Commissioning helps fill the fills gaps in
coordination
Commissioning encompasses All
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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
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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)

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How The BCA Can Help

• Member catalog (website)
• Performance standards
• Essential attributes
• Elements of commissioning
• Training
• Experience exchange (e-forum)

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Purpose ofBuilding Commissioning

• It is BCAs 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 owners operational
  needs.
• Commissioning of existing systems may require the
  development of new functional criteria in order
  to address the owners current systems
  performance requirements.

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PO Box 2016 Edmonds, WA 98020 Voice 425.774.6909
Fax [phone] E-mail bcxa_at_bcxa.org Web www.
bcxa.org