NAIOP Pittsburgh goes to Washington
2009 Leader & Legislative Retreat
By: Tim White
Acquisition Leader
TRANE – Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, PA
email: TWhite2@trane.com
Phone: 412.747.3000
While commissioning (Cx) is a systematic process to ensure that new building systems perform according to design intent and operational needs, recommissioning (Rx) is the process of reviewing existing equipment and systems in existing buildings to meet these same objectives.
Recommissioning is a highly effective way to meet facility performance goals by reducing operation and maintenance costs and achieving Green program objectives by cutting energy consumption. Despite these benefits, most buildings have never undergone recommissioning – often because many times decision makers are not fully apprised of its advantages.
Recommissioning was first created to ensure that HVAC systems are installed and operating correctly within the original design specifications, but today it often extends to other systems, such as lighting, plumbing, electrical, or the building envelope.
A strong business case can be made for recommissioning based on the wealth of evidence that it achieves excellent financial and operational outcomes.
Rapid payback for recommissioning
A recent study of 224 recommissioned buildings, conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, found that recommissioning achieves a median of 15 percent energy savings, with potential payback periods in less than a year. Many buildings realize even greater cost savings.
Recommissioning also achieves other important outcomes, such as improved indoor comfort and air quality, lower operation and maintenance costs, greater occupant satisfaction, extended equipment lifetime, safety benefits, and better overall operating performance.
It’s important to note that even well-maintained buildings can fall out of specification. This is because routine maintenance only looks at individual pieces of equipment. Recommissioning focuses on keeping building total system operation at the design specification levels required to meet building performance goals. The benefits of recommissioning include:
Long-term cost benefits. Although short-term spending can be trimmed by deferring maintenance, this practice can be extremely costly in the long-run. A commissioning engineer can quantify the costs and risks of deferred maintenance and the cost benefits of system improvements. And software can be used to model energy use and potential savings.
All buildings can benefit from recommissioning, but the more energy intensive the facility the greater savings it will achieve. The Berkeley study found that the outcomes with the highest returns on investment occurred in facilities with large energy demands, such as hospitals and laboratories.
Worker productivity gains. In addition to energy savings, recommissioning leads to financial returns by increasing occupant comfort and productivity. Ergonomics studies, such as research by Professor Alan Hedge of Cornell University, show that better indoor environment conditions, including sound, lighting, air quality, and temperature, lead to higher worker productivity. Recommissioning can lead to improvements in all of these areas, thereby improving occupant performance and financial outcomes.
Funding options. Facilities that do not have capital to invest should consider Performance Contracting, which develops solutions to package “fast-payback” improvement initiatives with building infrastructure projects that may have a longer payback period.
The recommissioning process
Choose a project leader who understands your facility. Step 1: Find the right person to conduct the recommissioning project. If the expertise is not available on staff, hire an independent commissioning agent or qualified HVAC services provider.
The recommissioning engineer must have not only the right technical expertise, but also must understand the objectives of your facility and make a commitment to helping you reach those goals. Communication throughout the process is critical, to ensure that recommissioning actions remain in line with management expectations.
Assess original design and current operations. The project will begin by assembling all available information from the original building and systems design and commissioning, such as plans, specifications, drawings, equipment manuals, and so on.
Next, the commissioning engineer conducts a complete survey of the building systems’ condition and operation. The initial assessment also involves analysis of the building’s current operational needs, and, depending on the facility’s size and complexity, may take weeks or several months.
Conduct a gap analysis. Once design intent and current conditions are assessed, the commissioning engineer conducts a gap analysis to identify problems, inefficiencies, and potential improvements. The results of the evaluation are compared to the original design intent of the building and current demands. The project might identify an array of issues, from high utility costs, energy inefficiency, and occupant complaints to system failures, and health and safety risks.
Prioritize actions. The commissioning engineer will then work with you to prioritize the issues, incorporate Green initiatives as appropriate and desired, and conduct a cost-analysis and decide in which improvements to invest. The recommendations might include small adjustments that can achieve significant savings or retrofitting projects. Investment decisions are based on the best and most cost-effective ways to reach a facility’s objectives.
Train your staff. Recommissioning often provides rapid payback, but long-term savings require staff training to uphold the benefits of systems improvements. A preventive or predictive maintenance program should be put in place to ensure that you get the best results and financial outcomes for many years to come.
Implement “Continuous Commissioning.” Once your building’s systems have been recommissioned, sustain the benefits through an ongoing process of reviewing the operation of systems and equipment to assure that they continue to operate at maximum efficiency.
Recommissioning is win-win on all fronts – by demonstrating better financial results and performance outcomes, as well as enabling planned Green objectives and initiatives, for your building.
For more information, contact Tim White, Acquisition Leader, TRANE - Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA, at email: TWhite2@trane.com or Phone: 412.747.3000
