Home > Articles By Issue > Building Envelope & Exteriors > Article Jan. 2002

Building Commissioning: One Effective Solution To The Building Automation Puzzle

By E. Thomas Lillie
Lillie & Co.

While the concept of building commissioning is no longer as alien as it once was, the process itself–and the result–still leave many fms with more questions than answers. Building commissioning is fairly straightforward: to assure that the design and installation of a building's equipment and systems actually satisfy the owner's intent and to facilitate the turnover of the equipment and systems to the owner so that operations, preventive maintenance and troubleshooting programs can be established.

Commissioning became a legitimate management tool in the 1980s when computerization, technological advances, and how these systems interact dynamically with one another made it impossible for fms to verify if what they had was what they ordered. Too many facilities did not perform up to expectations.

Over the last two decades, the service has gained more recognition and credibility as owners and fms recognize an even greater need for a third-party to ensure all their expectations are fulfilled.

Assuming that fms understand the concept of commissioning, they must ask and answer the following questions before finalizing their commissioning strategies:

• How do they assure the right process for their facilities?
  
• How do they find the right commissioning agents (CAs)?
  
• Can the general or mechanical contractor perform both contracting and commissioning functions?
  
• Should all new buildings be commissioned, or is it unnecessary in some cases?
  
• What should fms ask for and what should they expect?
  
• When should a CA join the building team, and to whom should he report?

Knowing the answers to these–and other–concerns will help make the commissioning project run smoother and more efficiently.

Asking The Right Questions
Fms need to be sure they are getting the full benefit of the commissioning process and the best result for their buildings. Following are some key questions to help make these determinations.

1. Should all buildings be commissioned? Do some benefit more than others? Since the systems that are commissioned are typically the mechanical, electrical, and life safety systems, the facilities that benefit most from commissioning are those where these systems are most complex. This would include most medical facilities, laboratories, data centers, and other buildings with critical, integrated systems.

Schools and colleges are prime candidates for commissioning due to the nature of the occupants. Schools typically have the worst environments of any facilities. Statistics show that teachers suffer from more illnesses than any other profession.

Venues with special operating requirements, and those that hold large numbers of people at any given time, such as high-rise residential buildings, prisons, hotels, and indoor stadiums, should be commissioned as well.

Fms of buildings that are owner-occupied, operated, and maintained would be wise to have them commissioned. In addition to life safety issues, energy efficiency, productivity, and self insurance give the owner a vested interest in the building's efficient operation.

Recommissioning and/or commissioning an existing facility can be very beneficial for buildings that aren't performing as promised–or buildings whose purpose may have changed over time. Recommissioning involves performance and diagnostic testing of most major systems and documented results and recommendations on how to correct any deficiencies.

2. What systems should be commissioned? All major components and equipment comprising the mechanical, electrical, and life safety systems should be commissioned. In most cases the majority of the verification involves mechanical systems.

3. Who should provide the building commissioning services? Must it be a third party CA, or can the general or mechanical contractor or the engineer provide this service? The CA must be an advocate of the owner. If the CA's firm has other project responsibilities or is not directly responsible to the owner, a conflict of interest exists. A general or mechanical contractor verifying building systems can be like the fox guarding the henhouse. The CA should be an objective, independent third party.

In addition, the persons conducting the commissioning service should be professional engineers. They should have in-depth experience as a designers of MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems, as well as field construction and construction management experience. According to the Building Commissioning Association (BCA), these individuals should have recent hands-on field experience regarding:

• Building systems commissioning,
  
• The physical principles of building systems performance and interaction,
  
• Building systems start up, balancing, testing, and troubleshooting,
  
• Operations and maintenance procedures, and
  
• The building design and construction process.

4. When should the CA be brought on board? Ideally, the CA should be part of the design team at conception. Commissioning transcends all stages of the development of a new project, including planning, design, construction, equipment check out and balancing, owner occupancy, and training of personnel.

Though CAs don't function as designers, they do assist the fm in analyzing the proposed designs for optimal operation. The CA's responsibility includes determining constructability, system efficiency, and maintainability; identifying critical operating requirements; and coordinating the mechanical and electrical trades. As the design is developed, the CA provides a list of systems to be commissioned, developing testing and verification parameters, and reviewing all pertinent construction documents.

5. How much should I expect commissioning to add to the cost of my project? On a recent cost comparison of projects which included the commissioning of new building mechanical and electrical systems, the commissioning cost typically ran 2.5% of the total mechanical cost and 1.5% of the total electrical cost. Another guideline is 2% to 5% of the total cost of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and life safety systems. Classrooms and office buildings typically fall in the lower range, lab/classrooms and correctional facilities in the mid-range, and hospitals and hi-tech laboratories close to the 5% figure.

Some contractors insist on adding field labor cost due to commissioning. This suggests that contractors don't test their installed systems. Most specifications require functional testing so additional field labor should not be needed.

Consider the importance of a building that meets expectations. Systems that do not work translate into time consuming, costly corrective measures and possible litigation or acceptance of systems that may never work as planned.

Getting The Right Person
When hiring a CA, the following criteria should be considered:
Level of Experience. Ask to see a list of the firm's commissioning projects for the past five years. Again, commissioning should not be an add-on service of the firm selected. It should be the primary business.

Organizational Involvement. Ask to what professional commissioning organizations the firm belongs. The leading commissioning firms are members of the Building Commissioning Association (BCA).

Previous Commissioning Plan. Ask to review a copy of a commissioning plan–including the final report–from a previous project. This will help fms know what to expect regarding the process and documentation.

References. Ask for and contact references of fms with buildings similar to the one being built.

It is also advisable to interview construction management firms, general contractors, and the primary subcontractors that will bid on constructing the facility regarding their experience with the commissioning process. Ask each if they have been through a commissioning process. It is best if the construction manager has been through the process, good if the general contractor has, and beneficial if the mechanical and/or electrical subs are familiar with the experience.

Working Together
Commissioning is not an independent function. Rather, it is intertwined with the work of the construction manager and the primary contractors. All of these parties participate in the process by way of field testing, as well as the documentation they provide. Many project managers must rethink the way they manage a commissioned project because of the documentation and verification that are required. Needless to say, if they have been through the process before, the project should go more smoothly.

Ask the general contractors who are bidding if they have mechanical and/or electrical engineers on staff. Those that do will have a background and a resource that will be extremely helpful in understanding, supporting, and participating in the process.

Expectations
Once a CA has been selected, what should the fm expect? The BCA divides commissioning services into two categories: Essential Attributes and Variable Elements. Essential Attributes are so fundamental to effective building commissioning that all members agree in writing to adhere to them whenever they serve as a project's CA. Here are some examples of what might be put into writing before a project is started:

• The CA is in charge of the commissioning process and makes the final recommendations to the owner regarding functional performance of the commissioned building system.
  
• The commissioning purpose and scope are clearly defined in the CA contract.
  
• The commissioning roles and scope for all members of the design and construction teams should be clearly defined in each and every contract, general conditions of the specifications, each division of the specifications covering work to be commissioned, and the specifications for each system and component for which the supplier's support is required.
  
• Each project is commissioned in accordance with a written commissioning plan that is updated as the project progresses.
  
• On new building commissioning projects, the CA reviews systems installation for commissioning related issues throughout the construction period
• All commissioning activities and findings are documented as they occur. These reports are distributed as they're generated and included in the final report.
  
• The functional testing program objectively verifies that the building systems perform interactively in accordance with the project documents. Written, repeatable test procedures prepared specifically for each project are used to test components and systems in all modes of operating conditions specified for testing. These tests are documented to describe the individual systematic test procedures, the expected systems response or acceptance criteria for each procedure, the actual response or findings, and any pertinent discussion.
  
• The commissioning authority provides constructive input for the resolution of system deficiencies.
  
• Every commissioning project is documented with a report that includes:
  a) An evaluation of the operating condition of the systems at the time of functional test completion,
  
  b) Deficiencies discovered and the measures taken to correct them,
  
  c) Unconnected operational deficiencies that were accepted by the owner,
  
  d) Functional test procedures and results,
  
  e) Reports that document all commissioning field activities as they progress, and
  
  f) A description and schedule of required deferred testing.

Labeled as valuable, but not essential, the CA recommends the building commissioning scope include the following:

• Prior to design the CA would assist the fm in evaluating such issues as energy conservation, indoor environment, staff training, and operation and maintenance.
  
• Review all phases of design and construction documents for compliance with design criteria, commissioning requirements, bidding issues, construction coordination and installation concerns, performance aspects, and facilitation of O&M, including training and documentation.
  
• Review equipment submittals for compliance with commissioning issues.
  
• Verify or manage the scheduling and procedures used for system start-up.
  
• Verify that training for the operating staff is conducted in accordance with project documents.
  
• Verify that O&M manuals comply with the contract documents.
  
• Prior to expiration of the construction contract warranty, assist the owner in assessing systems performance and addressing related issues.

Fms might also consider assigning the testing and balancing function to the CA.

These guidelines should go a long way towards seeing that best practices are utilized for commissioning a facility.

On The Books
Other organizations have commissioning guidelines as well, and some services that fall under the purview of the CA are required by law.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Technical Committee 9.9, Building Commissioning, is concerned with methods of developing and executing the commissioning process as required to provide HVAC and related systems which conform with design intent and project requirements. ASHRAE offers numerous training workshops and seminars on building commissioning and recommissioning.

The National Institute of Building Sciences, the Florida Design Initiative, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, and Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. also offer building commissioning information and research services.

The National Fire Protection Association requires annual testing of life safety systems and provides the National Electric Code (NEC)–a document which most municipalities and governing bodies require to be met in order to acquire a construction permit. The NEC defines commissioning tasks as they relate to electrical systems. The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and the American National Standards Institute all promote standards for commissioning electrical equipment.

In some states, backflow preventors are required by law to be tested annually. In certain areas of the country, primarily in the northwest, some cities require municipal and/or public projects to be commissioned. The Department of Energy's Rebuild America Program, the Federal Energy Management Program, and the General Services Administration each have commissioning booklets.

As commissioning becomes more systematic and gains wider acceptance, its role in the design/construct industry will expand.

An Ongoing Process
Continuous commissioning–establishing testing procedures that continue throughout the life of a building–is a trend that is taking hold, particularly in buildings such as laboratories and hospitals that rely on extremely complex, integrated components and systems. Because of the CA's familiarity with the building design and operation, the agent is in the best position to establish these procedures.

The CA implements a customized Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that allows in-house operations and maintenance personnel to monitor critical systems. CMMS have recently become more affordable and should be seriously considered for facilitating preventive maintenance and allowing for optimum performance.

Along with positive trends, a few negatives always seem to emerge as well. More contracting, design engineering and testing, and balance firms are offering building commissioning as a sideline.

When mechanical, electrical, and/or life safety systems fail, the fm's job can become a nightmare. Often, the systems fail because they have never fully performed to expectations. Some problems become obvious at building startup. Others surface when the facility is at peak capacity.

In terms of cost, time, efficiency, and performance, a building that has been commissioned can make a tremendous difference in the workday of fms. Toward that end, fms owe it to themselves to understand the process and the benefits of building commissioning in order to present the best case for their next facility.

–E. Thomas Lillie, P.E.
Lillie is a principal with St. Louis, MO-based Lillie & Co. For more information, visit www.lillienco.com.