EE Global – Paris, France

Join us for EE Global 2009, being held April 27-29, 2009 at the Palais des Congres in Paris, France, where we will break through the clutter and learn why ENERGY EFFICIENCY is the quickest, cheapest and cleanest solution for addressing the world’s increasing energy demand and mitigating climate change.

EE Global 2009 will serve as an exchange of the latest technical, commercial and policy information, and will forge partnerships and develop best practices, policies and strategies for global implementation.

GlobalCon – 20th anniversary

April 1-2, 2009
Atlantic City Convention Center 
Atlantic City, NJ 

Decision makers from business, industry and government must now seek integrated energy solutions — solutions which assure both a secure and affordable power supply, and effective management of both energy and overall operational costs. Globalcon 2009 – presented by the Association of Energy Engineers and now celebrating its 20th anniversary as a major energy industry event — is designed specifically to facilitate those who need to get up to speed on the latest developments in the energy field, explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply options, and learn about innovative and cost-conscious project implementation strategies.

The multi-track conference covers a variety of topics, and gives you the opportunity to hear first-hand from some of the major players in the energy field. The Globalcon Expo will emphasize four critical areas of leading edge technology and related services:

• HVAC and Smart Building Systems
• Renewable & Alternative Energy / Onsite Generation
• Lighting Efficiency
• Plant and Facilities Management

The 2009 agenda includes:

• The cutting-edge Globalcon conference, featuring presentations by leading industry experts  
• A line-up of AEE-sponsored pre-conference seminars  
• The extensive Globalcon expo, where you can explore the latest technologies and services the energy marketplace has to offer. Free technology and applications workshops will also be presented in the 2008 exhibit hall.

Opportunity Green

Opportunity Green is a convergence of the prime movers & shakers and the up & coming innovators driving today’s new green economy. We inspire a collaborative culture of new thinking and unconventional ideas that pushes change in unexpected ways. Taking place on November 7-8, 2009 at UCLA in Los Angeles, Opportunity Green is an exciting 2 day forum, focused on effectively integrating sustainability into your organization.

Commissioning in Toronto

Practice of commissioning sustainable buildings gains momentum

Commissioning is critical to ensure buildings operate as intended, but it’s especially true of sustainable buildings, says a Toronto commissioning specialist.

At this year’s Green Building Festival in Toronto, Adam Muggleton, a managing partner with Cobalt Engineering, offered the ASHRAE definition of commissioning — a quality-oriented process for achieving, verifying and documenting that the performance of facilities, systems, and assemblies meets the defined objectives under the criteria.

Muggleton said commissioning should be done up front, even before design work and other planning, and the building owner should be the one to hire the commissioning authority.

“The commissioning process is a quality-management tool. The object isn’t to take any responsibility away from the architect or the mechanical or electrical designers. It’s to get things out in the open, review the design and make sure the project meets the owner’s objectives. If it’s started any later, commissioning becomes about picking up pieces that have been missed.”

Read the rest of this article here.

Commissioning in Japan – Building Services Commissioning Association

In the event the global environment issue becoming critical, the life-cycle quality assurance of the HVAC and other building services systems during the building design, construction, and maintenance is most important in order to realize energy saving with the constraint of reasonable indoor air quality.

As everyone knows, it has also become an important subject in our country from the viewpoint of securing sustainable social stock and transforming into recycling society.

To secure the higher quality of an architecture and the building services systems for any new construction as well as existing building, it has been recognized that a commissioning process, through which the quality of energy and environmental performance are defined, documented, verified, tested and monitored through phases of programming, design, construction testing and adjusting and operation and maintenance, plays a decisive role.

Commissioning of a new building is the process of defining building owner’s project requirements on the indoor environment and energy performances, managing the process to realize thus defined performances through the design, construction and operation phases by check-and-review, verification, documentation, functional performance tests, staff training and seasonal performance verification, and thus advising building owners to accept operational systems and fulfill their social obligation as well.

Application of this process should result in a hygienic, healthy and comfortable indoor environment that was requested by the building owner, by which the areal and global environmental protection through energy saving and reduction of environmental load.such as heat and global warming will be realized. Usability and sustainability of buildings will also be established.

We established the (NPO) Building Services Commissioning Association, the BSCA, in August, 2004, in order to solicit Japanese society for this urgent problem and to prepare engineering infrastructure in response to social requirements, which was motivated by the issue of “The Guideline of Building Services Commissionig Process” from the Society of Heationg, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan, SHASE. Our activity aims at propagation of the commissioning process over the construction society of Japan, that is, building owners, building services design and construction engineers and technicians, operation and maintenance engineers, at establishments of standard documentation ad technical tools for commissioning process, and at training and education of commissioning engineers.

Find out more about BSCA here.

The Best U.S. Cities for Riding out a Recession

Some Cities Will Be Safer in a Recession

Cities with a strong presence in health care, education, law, energy, and the government will feel the impact of a downturn less

Oct. 13’s 937-point surge in the Dow notwithstanding, the economic crisis has left Americans—even those with no obvious connection to Wall Street—wondering about their own future. The 401(k)s of many Americans are still on shaky ground, foreclosures are spiking, and employers in big cities and small towns alike are struggling to adapt to a new environment of tight credit and feeble consumer spending.

Government leaders are working to avoid a depression—or at least a late-1970s-level recession—but if things get really bad, some places will suffer more: states such as California, Florida, and Nevada that are buried under a growing mass of foreclosures, cities like New York and Chicago that have large numbers of financial sector jobs, and manufacturing towns that are already suffering from weak sales of cars and other durable goods.

Other local economies, those dominated by stable industries, could be relatively well-cushioned. BusinessWeek.com worked with data from PolicyMap.com, a demographics and data site run by Philadelphia’s Reinvestment Fund, to identify the best places to live during a recession. We looked at places where large portions of the population worked in anticyclical industries such as government, health care, education, agriculture, and legal services.

Read the rest of this article here.

Evolution of Commissioning within a School District: Provider and Owner/Operator Perspectives

This paper discusses the evolution of commissioning within a District that is currently responsible for 35 campuses in a fast-growing suburb of Sacramento. The paper will focus on the perceived value of commissioning within the District by project managers, construction managers, A&E team members, and local contractors. A comparison of two nearly identical projects – one that benefitted (sic) from commissioning and one that did not, illustrates some of the positive impacts of commissioning.

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District is located approximately 20 miles east of Sacramento, California. The District encompasses an area northeast of downtown Sacramento and consists of 22 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, two continuation high schools, adult education and other service centers. Many of the buildings were constructed more than 50 years ago. The HVAC equipment at these facilities varies from chilled/hot water loops on the older campuses to package rooftop DX units with gas fired furnaces on the newer construction. The District primarily utilizes two major controls systems across the different schools which are connected over the District network with a central EMS workstation located at the facilities maintenance office.

As most of the equipment on older campus is reaching the end its life, the District has been implementing various modernization projects that range from minor valve replacements to the complete teardown (sic) and replacement of the mechanical systems. The growth in this region has also required the construction of three new ground-up schools.

The Initial Perception
As with majority of owner/operators, the concept of commissioning was fairly new to the District. Prior to implementation of commissioning, any construction activity undertaken by the District was approached as a stand-alone project with intent to keep the initial cost low. Not much consideration was given to the long term impacts of the decisions taken during design and construction. This resulted in schools with different equipment and control standards that created problems for the maintenance staff.

The general perception about commissioning was that it added to the cost of implementing any project and duplicated activities performed by the Inspector on Record (IOR), A&E and the contactors (sic). Commissioning engineers were perceived as mere inspectors and were generally unwelcome on job sites. The general feeling was that commissioning leads to unnecessary delay by requiring certain tasks to be performed in a specific order and also requiring inspections at various stages.

New Benefits Being Realized by the District
The commissioning process has resulted in many benefits, some immediate and some long term. The outcomes of this process has been positive not only for the owners/operators but also the other stakeholders in the process. The benefits include but are not limited to:
• Satisfied building staff – Better temperature control and indoor air quality conditions leads to less discomfort situations.
• Satisfied maintenance personnel – Minimal hot/cold calls and reduced rate of equipment failure requires lesser site visits. Also, since the contractor is required to provide training on the HVAC and controls before the formal turnover of the buildings, the maintenance staff is less likely to have any surprises during maintenance.
• Increased level of confidence among school sites after building turnover – Better occupant comfort and reduced maintenance calls assures the occupants that the building will perform as intended which allows them to focus on their primary objective of  providing education.
• Smoother transition for the contractors – They are able to leave a site and focus on their next project knowing that warranty calls will be at a minimum.
• Improved energy efficiency – Ensuring that the HVAC systems are operating normally and at the highest level of efficiency.
• Fewer change orders and construction litigation –The construction manager, architects and owners have to deal with fewer change orders and there is no “fine-tuning” during the warranty period.
• Minimize dependence on contractors for ongoing maintenance – A documented sequence of operation eliminates guesswork during troubleshooting and minimizes loss of proprietary knowledge after contractor’s departure.
• ‘Lessons learned’– The detailed testing and review of the as-built system provides critique that can be used for improving future projects…

Read the rest of this article here.

Green Building Industry Wrestles with Recession

Developers attempting to launch sustainable-design projects and landlords who wish to complete energy-efficient property upgrades in the coming year face looming challenges that range from tight credit to slower returns on investment, experts say.

Across the nation, green development has suffered from the credit crunch along with conventional commercial real estate projects, according to attorney Mary Anne Sullivan, partner in the Washington, D.C. office of law firm Hogan & Hartson. Earlier this year, one of her clients arranged financing with Lehman Brothers for a renewable energy project only to have the loan fall through a month before closing when the lender went bankrupt.

“I’ve seen among my own clients the funding for several projects disappear very close to an anticipated financial closing date because of the economic crisis,” says Sullivan, who is a co-chair of her firm’s climate and clean energy working group. “It’s clearly having an impact on the ability to fund projects.”

As recently as early November, lenders were still shocked into a state of immobility by the credit crisis and weren’t interested in discussing new loan applications, according to Ezra Green, chairman & CEO of Clear Skies Solar, a Long Island, N.Y.-based designer and installer of solar photovoltaic systems. “You couldn’t get them to answer the phone,” Green says.

Yet Green believes the high cost of capital that has accompanied the credit crunch will ease in 2009…

Read the rest of this article here.

Greenbuild – SouthEast Asia, Singapore

In comparison to Australia and China, it has been identified that South East Asia has the largest green building growth potential and with over 235 million square feet of LEED registered green building space and over 315 registered projects in India alone, South Asia really is the hotspot region for the green building industry at present.

Enter GreenBuild South Asia, the only event to focus specifically on the emerging markets of India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, The Philippines and Vietnam. Packed full of local case studies and drawing on global expertise, anyone with a stake or interest in the South Asian property sector cannot afford to miss out on this definitive how-to event.

Find out more here.

China: Overcoming Obstacles to Commissioning

Keeping Energy Costs Down In China: Little-Known Facts About Building Commissioning

With summer heat pounding China, buildings are using extra energy to keep their occupants cool, but high fuel prices are costing companies more money than ever. Gerry McMahon is the director and founder of Facilities Analysis & Control Ltd, one of the top companies working in Greater China to help companies pinpoint energy wastage and optimize efficiency, and he’s often called upon to verify the quality and performance of facilities and assist with energy cost reduction.

What are the commonest causes of building energy waste that you come across?
Poor design, installation, testing and commissioning of electro-mechanical building services equipment can all lead to poor performance, discomfort and inefficiency. Here in Asia, however, the most serious problems result from poor commissioning if equipment (usually air-conditioning plant). There seems to be a widespread lack of awareness here of the importance of testing and adjusting major systems, and of the major inefficiencies which can result from not addressing this crucial activity properly.

Unlike other parts of the world where fine-tuning of major air-conditioning systems is commonplace (and even mandatory in the United Kingdom and several U.S. states), here in Asia the importance of building commissioning is often totally overlooked. There are no governmental regulations requiring it, or engineering bodies to regulate and control it. This means that our major buildings routinely waste serious quantities of energy. The biggest frustration for us it that this waste — and the environmental damage it causes — are totally unnecessary and avoidable.

So, how do FAC differ from other specialists in the energy efficiency market?
Most companies in the market are usually trying to sell products which can be “bolted on” to augment or replace a building’s inefficient plant. We differ from other consultants because, whereas they routinely try to persuade clients to purchase expensive new apparatus, we focus on the savings achievable by fine-tuning existing equipment, so the capital outlay is usually far lower — and paybacks far higher – in our case. Immediate savings of between 10 and 50 percent are commonplace.

Read the rest of this article here.

China’s First Zero-Emissions Building: Ningbo’s Sustainable Energy Technology Center

Nottingham University has opened the CSET building designed by MC A on their campus in Ningbo, China.

Ningbo, China, 2006 – 2008. The Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies (CSET) will focus on the diffusion of sustainable technologies such as solar power, photovoltaic energy, wind power and so forth. The 1,300m2 building accommodates a visitors centre, research laboratories and classrooms for masters courses.  The pavilion stands in a large meadow alongside a stream that runs through the campus. It’s design is inspired by Chinese lanterns and traditional wooden screens.

Read more here and here.

How the Recession Means More Green Buildings (and Why That’s Good for the Economy)

Can a bad economy save the planet?

Let’s be honest, construction companies and home builders are facing terrible times.  New building construction has ground to a halt and the subprime mortgage fiasco resulted in plummeting home values, leaving many builders with homes that were worth less than the cost of construction.   The longer the recession – some say through 2010, some say longer – the more companies will have to lay off employees or go under altogether.  There’s not much of a silver lining to this dark cloud, but one good thing looks to come out of it.  The green building market, which had been slowly increasing its share of the overall construction market prior to the market slowdown, is poised to provide a much needed spark in the construction market through a new public works program proposed by Barack Obama that will include a focus on energy efficiency in buildings.  With a national movement toward green building practices, there is a very real possibility that once the current recession is over, the majority of new commercial buildings and houses will be much more energy efficient, sustainable, and healthier than current building standards.

An Opportunity for Change

For those with long term vision, a market slowdown can be good for an industry.  It is an opportunity for a reevaluation of business practices.  When things are going well, there’s no incentive to change, even if those changes can mean greater energy efficiency and more of a focus on sustainability and health.  But a slowdown gives companies not only the time to research new innovations but the financial incentive to seek new revenue streams.  Consumer behavior is trending green, with 73% saying they would pay more for products that are better for the environment and 89% saying they’d pay more for products that will reduce heating and cooling costs, according to a survey done by the Opinion Research Corporation.

Read the rest of this article here.

Amidst Deepening Recession, Green Fights Back

Green Building has Shown Uncommon Resiliency Through First Year of Recession

Despite a slowdown affecting nearly all segments of the commercial property industry, green building is positioned to withstand the deepening economic recession and possibly emerge as a more influential force than before, sustainability advocates say.

The optimism stems from a groundswell of popularity that carried green building to the forefront of the industry heading into the downturn, as well as the idea that sustainability can help building stakeholders cut costs.

Lately, the financial case for green buildings — that they are cheaper to operate and display better fundamentals than conventional buildings — has become the chief rallying cry for the movement.

“There’s been a focus shift from just ‘green, green, green’ to actual feasibility,” said Shannon Sentman, a real estate attorney at Holland & Knight in Washington, DC, who specializes in green building. “People are realistic. Most realize that this is a bottom line issue and it’s not only economical to do it, it’s bad for the bottom line if you don’t.”

That argument has become more credible as new studies suggest a stronger correlation between green buildings and lower energy costs, which has appealed universally to both tenants and owners and translated into leasing and selling advantages in many markets.

- Read the rest of this article here.

Green California Summit

“If you want to understand what California’s state and local governments are doing to create healthy communities and a vibrant, green economy, you can’t miss the Green California Summit. This is the event for anyone who wants to be part of a green revolution that is changing the world.”

Rosario Marin, Secretary, State and Consumer Services
Co-Chair, Summit Advisory Board

March 16-18, 2009
Sacramento Convention Center

Commissioning conference pegs vitality meter

Michael Ivanovich, Editor-in-Chief — Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 5/1/2008

Talk about buzz. The 16th National Conference on Building Commissioning (NCBC), produced by Portland Energy Conservation Inc. (PECI), had the noisy vibe of high-octane networking in hallways, at watering holes, and in expo booths that signaled a successful conference. More than 400 commissioning (Cx) providers, engineers, owners, and utility program administers converged from around the nation and world to swap war stories, provide updates on programs, and solicit input on emerging processes and procedures. Capping off NCBC was a heavily attended town hall meeting on the future of the Cx market.

Big news: Cx is such a strong industry throughout the United States that there is a persistent shortage of professionals to meet the work load. One driver is the pluckiness of the nonresidential construction and retrofit markets, despite the downturn in residential construction. Cx partially is buoyed by the green-buildings movement, with USGBC LEED NC and other LEED rating systems requiring plans for Cx and providing credits for implementing them to various levels. (Note: The new version of LEED EB has no prerequisites, but up to three points, for retrocommissioning). However, Cx clearly has spread beyond LEED, especially in critical facilities such as hospitals and laboratories, and in school buildings.
To continue reading this article, click here.

Zero Energy Building (ZEB)

A zero energy building (ZEB) or net zero energy building is a general term applied to a building with a net energy consumption of zero over a typical year. Zero energy buildings are gaining considerable interest as a means to cut greenhouse gas emissions and conserve energy. Buildings use 40% of the total energy in the US and European Union.

This can be measured in different ways (relating to cost, energy, or carbon emissions) and, irrespective of the definition used, different views are taken on the relative importance of energy generation and energy conservation to achieve energy balance. Although zero energy buildings remain uncommon in developed countries, they are gaining in importance and popularity. The zero-energy approach is promoted as a potential solution to a range of issues, including reducing carbon emissions, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Most ZEB definitions do not include the emissions generated in the construction of the building and the embodied energy of the structure which would usually invalidate claims of reducing carbon emissions. [1]

Imagine a facility that generates enough energy to meet all its own needs: This is the philosophy behind zero-energy buildings (ZEBs). The concept isn’t new, but the implementation is. Zero-energy homes are more the norm than zero-energy commercial buildings, but that may soon be changing. Companies such as San Jose, CA-based Integrated Design Associates Inc. (which is building the Z² Design Facility highlighted in Building a Zero-Energy Commercial Office) are striving for net zero energy and zero carbon emissions.

As the idea gains traction, researchers work to develop innovative technologies that can make ZEBs a widespread possibility for all future new construction projects. Despite the fact that the application is somewhat limited today, the quest for zero energy remains one of the most dramatic means for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions attributed to commercial buildings. While the term “zero-energy building” has many definitions, it is most often defined as a building that produces as much energy on-site as it consumes on an annual basis. They are actually referred to as net-zero-energy buildings because they do use energy; however, the supply from on-site generation is equal to (or greater than) the facility’s demand.

How to Achieve Net Zero Energy A ZEB is only possible if three things happen: 1) the goal is set early and the project team makes integrated decisions, 2) energy consumption is cut dramatically, and 3) an investment in on-site power generation is made. —> Read more of this article here. [2]

United States

In the U.S., ZEB research is currently being supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Building America Program, including industry-based consortia and researcher organizations at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). From fiscal 2008 to 2012, DOE plans to award $40 million to four Building America teams, the Building Science Corporation; IBACOS; the Consortium of Advanced Residential Buildings; and the Building Industry Research Alliance, as well as a consortium of academic and building industry leaders. The funds will be used to develop net-zero-energy homes that consume at 50% to 70% less energy than conventional homes. DOE is also awarding $4.1 million to two regional building technology application centers that will accelerate the adoption of new and developing energy-efficient technologies. The two centers, located at the University of Central Florida and Washington State University, will serve 17 states, providing information and training on commercially available energy-efficient technologies.

According to Energy Design Update (February 2007), one home in the United States has demonstrated 12 months of data showing net-zero-energy performance; that house, located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, was built by Metro Denver Habitat for Humanity, with help from NREL engineers.

The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 created 2008 through 2012 funding for a new solar air conditioning research and development program, which should soon demonstrate multiple new technology innovations and mass production of economies of scale. One of the most comprehensive modern compilations of information on this subject is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Building Technology group “Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings Tenth International Conference” held December 2007. The popular Zero Energy Design DOE/ORNL Workshop materials include an 800-page eBook, 500 presentation slides, and related support materials. [1]

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[1] Source: Wikipedia

[2] Source: buildings.com

Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program

The California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program supports energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects that will help improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, affordable and reliable energy services and products to the marketplace.

The PIER Program annually awards up to $62 million to conduct the most promising public interest energy research by partnering with RD&D organizations including individuals, businesses, utilities, and public or private research institutions.

PIER brings new energy services and products to the marketplace and creates state-wide environmental and economic benefits. PIER funding efforts are focused on the following RD&D program areas:

• Buildings End-Use Energy Efficiency
• Climate Change Program
• Energy Innovations Small Grant Program
• Energy-Related Environmental Research
• Energy Systems Integration
• Environmentally-Preferred Advanced Generation
• Industrial/Agricultural/Water End-Use Energy Efficiency
• Natural Gas Research
• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Transportation Research

PG&E Commissioning Test Protocol Library

Abstract:
As part of a commissioning related market transformation program, Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) Customer Energy Management New Construction unit has developed of a library of commissioning test protocols. PG&E believes that the building commissioning process as outlined in ASHRAE Guideline 1-1996, when properly applied to buildings, can result in buildings with superior systems, efficiency, and occupant comfort. PG&E is interested in promoting the commissioning process among its customers and believes that a library of well-written, cost-effective verification check and functional test protocols that includes a template to produce new ones is needed by the commissioning industry. Our long-term objective is to help create a readily accessible library of verification check and functional test protocols archived in an updateable informational database. For owners and providers new to commissioning, the library helps reduce the amount of work required to fully and adequately commission a building and its systems, thereby streamlining the process. For experienced owners and commissioning practitioners, the library provides a state of the art source for procedures. The library also provides insight into the best practice currently available, aiding all parties interested in commissioning.

Read more here at CCC.

Design Reviews during Commissioning

National Conference on Building Commissioning: May 18-20, 2004

Design Review – Understanding What You’re Getting – Specifying What You Want

Norman L. Nelson, P.E.

Design review is a core commissioning activity and is becoming ever more common in commissioning projects. There are two fundamental objectives that may be used to focus reviews: design enhancement and quality control. Design enhancement seeks to identify improved ways, from the current design, to meet the owner’s project requirements. Quality control aims at ensuring that there are no mistakes or oversights in the current design that would prevent meeting the owner’s project requirements. To date, commissioning providers rather than owners have driven the rigor and type of reviews performed. Owners should understand the differences in these approaches and be able to specify in their scopes of work how they want their reviews focused and conducted.

General completeness and compatibility of the drawings and specifications are important considerations prior to construction. Many owners consider the Dx phase to primarily focus on checking for errors and omissions in the Construction Documents. The CA role is not to replace the internal QC/QA of the design team, but only to enhance it by reviewing critical areas of importance. Some owners may desire the CA to spend very little effort in quality control review, as that is the role of the design team. Owners often would rather pay the CA to use their design and operating expertise in enhancing the design. However, when quality control is part of the review, the primary areas of concern include:

• General quality and completeness of the documents
• Building envelope openings and mechanical systems
• Air pathways and duct spaces within the envelope
• Area separation, smoke and fire resistive construction requirements
• Control system and electrical system coordination (mechanical equipment and electrical schedules)
• Life safety and mechanical/electrical coordination

This article is from the library of the California Commissioning Collaborative. Read the complete article here.

Also from the CCC is the Design Review Tool Module, a comprehensive 125 page document that is part of the Cx Assistant (TM).

Commissioning Costs and Budgets

Establish Commissioning Budgets

Commissioning costs can range widely and are dependent upon many factors including a building’s size, complexity, and whether the project consists of building renovation, modernization, or new construction and the scope of commissioning services provided.

In general, the cost of commissioning new buildings range from 0.5 percent of the total construction cost for relatively simple projects such as office buildings to 1.5 for complex laboratories and medical facilities1. Additional information on Building Commissioning can be found in PECI, New Construction Commissioning Costs, 2/14/2002.

For an existing building, the cost of commissioning can range from 3.0 to 5.0 percent of the total operating cost. A good rule of thumb for systems-based commissioning budgeting is between 2 and 4% of the construction cost of each system being commissioned.

Key factors that can have a direct impact in developing a commissioning budget include:

• When the commissioning process starts (during design, construction, or post-construction)
• The number and complexity of systems to be commissioned
• Complexity of the systems
• The level of detail required during the commissioning process (Does it include documenting and witnessing all equipment start-up, verification tests, spot checking the balancing report, etc.?)
• Deliverables (design intent document, number of design reviews, commissioning plan, O&M manual review, final report, etc.)
• Allocation of costs (Will the budget allow for increased design fee, increased contractor bids, training time for O&M personnel, the commissioning consultant’s fee, etc.?)
• Type of project (design-build, plan and spec, retrofit, etc.)

Note: Some utilities now have programs offering incentives/rebates for owners that may offset costs for commission or re-commission of facilities.

Read the entire WBDG article here.