Health Check: Why Commissioning Needs to be Part of Your Next Building Project

Buildings are getting more complicated, and the industry is struggling to keep up.

Modern building materials, systems and technology—when properly designed, installed, and maintained—save money on energy bills, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create a comfortable environment for occupants.

And that’s the catch. Without commissioning and regular recommissioning oversight to verify if a building is operating to its designed intent, these benefits are often compromised or missed.

Like your health from infancy to adulthood, new and existing buildings benefit from early and ongoing health checks.

COMMISSIONING (Cx)

Commissioning is a quality assurance process for new buildings where Cx Providers review building systems and equipment, focusing on energy efficiency, maintainability, operability, and making sure the owner’s project requirements are met. Commissioning is not simply a construction phase task.

Energy savings modifications are found by Cx Providers during design so they can be incorporated before construction begins. This provides oversight and confirmation that the design is sound and the specified equipment is appropriate for the owner’s requirements. Our involvement continues through construction, where commissioned systems are rigorously tested and optimized to reduce energy consumption and increase building performance, which can attract high quality occupants and investors.

New buildings might appear in good order, but our team at EastPoint sees an average of 200 issues corrected during commissioning. “Building health checks” identify and correct problems that could otherwise remain unnoticed—costing money and potentially causing bigger issues down the line.

Key benefits of Cx to consider:

• Building systems become easier to operate and maintain. For example, a Cx Provider will review equipment for proper maintenance access, including tool clearance and working space. This reduces the risk of equipment failures and helps ensure that the building can be effectively maintained.

• People responsible to manage and operate buildings systems—and not just the systems themselves—are considered. The Cx process helps organize training for building operators, so they are properly oriented to new equipment and systems and are equipped with the necessary knowledge to operate the systems properly.

• It sets the baseline for future recommissioning. Cx documentation provides historical background information, apprising the recommissioning provider of the owner’s original intent for building operation.

BUILDING ENVELOPE COMMISSIONING (BECX)

Undertaking building systems and equipment commissioning is critical for a new building—and so too is commissioning of the building envelope. BECx is an increasingly sought-after specialization in commissioning to validate the constructability and performance of a building envelope to meet its designed intent. Given the critical role of the building envelope in overall building performance, many certifications, such as LEEDv4, are incorporating BECx for building project requirements.

BECx Providers apply building science and construction experience to protect the physical barrier between the interior and exterior environment. Walls, roof, windows, doors, and foundations—when properly designed, installed, and tested—will provide a durable envelope to address risks of unwanted heat, air, and moisture transfer.

Like standard commissioning, BECx is most effective when integrated before construction. BECx Providers are involved as early as pre-design to help define the owner’s project requirements, and to provide input on drawings, specifications, and shop drawings throughout design and tender phases, as well as construction phase involvement.

The Business Case for Commissioning:

On a typical project, a 1% spend of capital cost for Cx, and 0.2-0.5% spend for BECx, saves clients 5-10% a year on energy costs and 10-15% on operations and maintenance costs.

Key benefits of BECx to consider:

• It provides a more complete energy efficiency solution: Building systems may be working harder and less efficiently than needed if an envelope is not meeting its designed intent. BECx Providers identify energy inefficiencies in the building envelope during design and construction.

1. Old Perlican Search and Rescue Station, NL – Long-term durability and minimal maintenance for remote, harsh marine environment. LEED Gold Certified under LEEDv4 BD+C : New Construction. EastPoint was Independent Building Envelope Commissioning Authority (BECxA) and Building Commissioning Authority (CxA).

By addressing these inefficiencies, Owners can reduce energy consumption and improve the building’s sustainability.

• The building envelope plays a critical role in maintaining indoor air quality. The building envelope is designed, constructed, and tested to prevent the entry of outdoor pollutants and moisture.

• A durable building envelope can withstand the elements and last for many years. The building envelope is designed and constructed to meet the owner’s expectations for durability, reducing the need for costly repairs and maintenance.

• The building envelope affects the comfort of building occupants. The building envelope is designed and constructed to maintain comfortable temperatures and reduce drafts, ensuring a comfortable indoor environment.

• Risks of failure are reduced. Building envelope failures can result in damage to the building and its contents. The BECx process helps to reduce the risk of failure by ensuring that the building envelope is designed and constructed to meet the owner’s requirements and expectations.

RECOMMISSIONING (ReCx)

Recommissioning is a quality assurance process to improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality in existing buildings. ReCx Providers rigorously assess and optimize the performance of an existing building’s energy consuming systems, based on the current owner’s requirements and building occupancy.

The Business Case for Recommissioning:

ReCx for a typical building costs in the $10-30k range. Our findings and recommendations average a payback period of less than two years.

We recommend a building “tune-up” or check-in every five years. Here’s why:

• Changing occupancy loads benefit from updated systems strategies. Where remote work has become more popular, occupant densities may vary significantly day-to-day. Building systems need to become more reactive and dynamic to occupant needs. Conventional “set-and-forget” setpoints, schedules, and programming are becoming obsolete.

We typically find opportunity for demand control ventilation (DCV), which saves energy by reducing the amount of outside air the building needs to heat or cool. DCV is particularly important in buildings with varying occupancy levels.

• Building systems become less efficient over time as space use changes and equipment ages. ReCx Providers review equipment and systems with a goal of getting system back to its original high efficiency state. Repeating the ReCx process regularly supports a building that operates efficiently over its entire life.

• Risks can be identified and mitigated. As buildings age, systems and components can deteriorate or become outdated, leading to inefficient operation and breakdowns. The ReCx process can identify and address these issues, reducing the risk of unexpected failures or downtime.

• Opportunities are uncovered to improve building performance and tie-in with O&M activities. ReCx Providers can identify opportunities for larger retrofits that further improve energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Linking recommissioning approaches with day-to-day O&M practices is becoming the new normal—examples include monitoring motor amperage readings to identify fan or pumps that may be struggling, monitoring filter pressures to indicate when air filters need to be changed, and vibration analysis to identify motor deterioration before failure.

• The total cost of ownership is reduced. ReCx can extend the lifespan of building systems, reduce maintenance costs, shift reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance, and enhance the overall value of the building. Commissioning and recommissioning are practical investments in the overall health of new and existing buildings. Building owners and occupants benefit from lower operating costs, a healthier indoor environment, and improved building longevity.

CONTRIBUTORS:

- Charline Cormier CET, LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, GGP, Fitwel Ambassador, BECxP & CxA+BE Sustainability Manager

- Chris Russell P.Eng. PMP, LEED AP BD+C, CM-Lean Energy Engineering Manger

- Justin MacDonald P.Eng. CEM, CMVP, CBCP, LSS-GB Senior Energy Engineer

- Keith Estey P.Eng., CBCP, CMVP Senior Commissioning Engineer