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Commissioning Best Practices For Building Performance

The document outlines best practices for commissioning HVAC systems to ensure building performance. It recommends that commissioning authorities: 1) Review the owner's project requirements and design to check for functionality, maintainability and industry best practices. 2) Conduct design reviews to check for issues like adequate outside air and properly sized exhaust fans. 3) Create inspection testing scripts to record performance data rather than checklists. 4) Hold sequences of operations workshops to ensure all parties understand control sequences.

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Moh'd Khad
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192 views3 pages

Commissioning Best Practices For Building Performance

The document outlines best practices for commissioning HVAC systems to ensure building performance. It recommends that commissioning authorities: 1) Review the owner's project requirements and design to check for functionality, maintainability and industry best practices. 2) Conduct design reviews to check for issues like adequate outside air and properly sized exhaust fans. 3) Create inspection testing scripts to record performance data rather than checklists. 4) Hold sequences of operations workshops to ensure all parties understand control sequences.

Uploaded by

Moh'd Khad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Commissioning Best Practices

for Building Performance


Jim Bochat | Chairman of NEBB’s Building
Systems Commissioning Committee

Follow these Best Practices to Ensure a Building Meets the Performance Standards Required
by the Owner and Design Engineer

There are several commissioning (Cx) certification maintainability, and best industry practice.
groups, each expressing various procedures, and Typical issues to look for are:
most of them generally comply with ASHRAE Guideline
0, The Commissioning Process. One organization, the • Outside airflow for proper building
National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB), pressurization (most designers do not allow
has taken a closer look at its procedures to see what sufficient outside air to overcome air barrier
can be changed or modified to provide better results leakage)
for Cx that is being requested by building owners. • System effect issues with duct and pipe
NEBB has branded this new process “Technical layout
Commissioning,” and it was developed by adopting • Duct and pipe design for lowest practical
the best Cx practices from several national Cx operating pressure (lowest pressure means
providers who have demonstrated a high level of best energy efficiency and lowest noise)
customer satisfaction. • Drawing details for reduced pressure taps,
condensate drain traps, maintenance
Best practice for HVAC systems requires promoting access, and balance test points
the following Cx activities as the most important to • Verification of system diversity for each
building performance. Other commissioned systems system
such as electrical, lighting, fire alarm, fire protection, • Verification of exhaust fans’ capacity to
security, plumbing, and building envelope benefit overcome duct leakage (fans are sometimes
from the Technical Commissioning best practice undersized due to the effect of duct leakage
process in similar ways depending upon the owner’s requiring more capacity)
desires. • General air diffusion layout for maximum
performance (return grilles at exterior walls
1. Owner’s project requirements (OPR): The OPR and windows)
is very important to the project’s success; the • General coordination between disciplines:
more an owner tells the design and construction electrical, structural, and architectural
team what he wants, the better equipped they • Equipment access and air clearances.
will be to deliver it. Best practice for Cx projects
is to have the commissioning authority (CxA) 3. Inspection testing scripts. Instead of spending
provide a template that simplifies the task of time creating contractor completed checklists
generating an effective. that provide little value to either the contractor
or to the project, best practice would be for
2. Design review. What a Cx-focused design the CxA to complete the inspections and check
review is and what it is supposed to accomplish sheets himself or add them to the test and
are often misunderstood. First, it is not a balance (TAB) as a part of his report. These
peer review of the design but rather a design scripts outline the basic test design and the
review of the basic design for functionality, data to be recorded to prove performance.

The NEBB Professional – Spring 2013 3


Once testing is complete, the test script, its components. As with Murphy’s Law, the one
data, and data trends become the record of point not checked will be the one that is
the test performance. problematic. Functional testing cannot be
performed with a control system that has
4. Sequences of operations workshops. One incorrect polarity, uncalibrated sensors, or
of the biggest problems with HVAC control incorrectly connected points. Best practice
systems is a lack of understanding between requires a separate point-to-point test by the
the control contractor, the engineer, and the CxA.
building operator as to the details of the
sequences of operations. Best practice is 8. TAB verification. Most Cx standards require a
to put all parties in the same room and go certain percentage of readings to be repeated
through each sequence in detail, making sure to verify accuracy of a TAB report. Best
that all parties agree upon the sequence and practice calls for a CxA who is highly familiar
setpoints to be used. The “KISS” principle also with TAB to review the balance process with
applies to control sequences and, if possible, the TAB contractor, review his issue log, and
it is always best to use standard sequences retest several important readings, such as box
that are preprogrammed by the control calibration flow settings, outside airflows, and
manufacturer. It is important to complete AHU mixed-air chamber pressure setup. The
this review prior to implementing the control CxA should spend enough time with the TAB
programming and certainly before field testing contractor to feel confident that the contractor
the control systems. has done his job correctly.

5. Cx coordination meetings. A regular meeting 9. Functional performance testing. Functional


with all the contractors is important for the testing and integrated system testing separate
CxA to keep on top of all project activities. Best the professional CxA from the “wanna-be”
practice suggests that these meetings start at CxA. The CxA must design the functional
about 50% rough-in and increase from monthly tests to put the system through all phases of
to twice monthly and then to weekly at the final operation, including emergency operation.
testing stage. The frequency of Cx meetings Best practice dictates that the CxA be on-site
will vary depending upon the complexity of the and supervise the contractor in the execution
systems being commissioned. of the functional tests. This allows the CxA
to determine if test designs are adequate for
6. Expert site inspections. The Cx team member the system being tested and to see issues
performing the site inspection must be an expert firsthand. This process requires additional time,
in construction, prefunctional testing, and but successful functional testing is critical to
functional testing of the systems; otherwise, building performance.
he will miss important installation features
that may affect functional performance. If the 10. System troubleshooting and issue log. It is
first-party validation method of process Cx is surprising something as simple as an issue
used, the HVAC contractor will normally miss log can complicate getting a CxA’s questions
system effect issues or low pressure fitting answered. Contractors often respond to issues
requirements. Best practice requires using by saying they will fix that later, or it’s not their
expert CxA and inspectors. problem, or that’s the way it was designed—
these are, of course, not the correct answers.
7. Control installation testing. Best practice Best practice requires the CxA to actively
requires that the CxA and control contractor manage the issue log and solutions by directing
perform a complete Cx point-to-point and issues to the correct team member, such as the
sensor calibration test of all control system engineer, contractor, or owner. Often a question

4
must be asked more than once, explaining why
the previous answer will not solve the owner’s
problem. If an issue resolution is not obvious, Interested to advertise in
the CxA will assist the design and construction
teams in discovering the underlying problem
The NEBB Professional?
and its solution. Contact
11. Operations assistance. Assisting the building marketing@nebb.org
operations and maintenance (O&M) staff in or call 301.977.3698
taking over control of the technical systems for more information.
is not normally a part of the Cx scope, but it
should be. Best practice would allow the CxA
to transfer all knowledge he has gained during
the construction of the technical systems to the
O&M team. This process should happen over
the first two or three months of operation and
involves the CxA to meeting with, answering
questions of, coaching, and training the O&M
staff weekly for the first month, twice per
month the second month, and once at the
end of the third month. The level of effort for
operations assistance varies depending upon
the complexity of the systems.

12. Final performance verification. As with O&M


assistance, performance verification is not
normally a part of the Cx scope, but it should
be. The purpose of Cx a building is to improve
its performance, but if we do not measure and
track its performance, we will never know
what level of performance was achieved. Best
practice dictates that the CxA track and report
the performance of the building for the first
year of operation. For this to be effective, the
project must be designed, constructed, and
commissioned with performance verification in
mind. This does not mean you have to build a
simulation model to predict future performance
of the building; it means the CxA should make
sure he has the required measurement points
and measures actual performance over time.
One guide for these measurements is the
ASHRAE SP-132 Performance Metrics Protocols
– Best Practices Guide.

Reprinted with permission from CFE Media LLC.

The NEBB Professional – Spring 2013 5

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