Commissioning is a process that has been around for many years and has been referred to by many different names in different industries. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) defines commissioning as “A quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The process focuses on verifying and documenting that the facility and all of its systems are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated and maintained to meet the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR)”.
Simply put, in the building industry it is a quality assurance program for the architecture and engineering community and for owners that helps ensure that facilities are constructed and operated as intended by the owner and the designers.
Benefits of commissioning include reduced energy use, lower operating costs, reduced contractor callbacks, better building documentation and verification that the systems perform properly.
Retro-commissioning, or re-commissioning if a building has been previously commissioned, refers to developing a building operation plan that identifies current operating requirements and needs, conducting tests to determine whether building systems are performing optimally in accordance with the plan, and making any necessary repairs or changes.
Commissioning is so important that it is a Prerequisite in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for a building to receive certification.
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Source: Newman Consulting Group, LLC
Article by: Jim Newman