Common Commissioning Problems Melek YALCINTAS, Ph.D., P.E., CxA, LEED-AP AMEL Technologies, Inc. Manoa Innovation Center 2800 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 251 Honolulu, HI 96822 Phone: 988-0200 E-mail: melek@ameltech.com SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
LEED Certified Buildings – where Commissioning is a mandatory requirement Claim: • Saves Energy • Better Indoor Air Quality • Protects Environment • Conserves Resources SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
LEED Certified Buildings - Energy The Claimed benefits of LEED Certified facilities are being questioned: Recent peer reviewed research papers: “Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Yes, but …” (Newsham, et al., 2009) http://archive.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc51142.pdf “Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Not really…” Schofield (2009) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877880900187X Then, USGBC States (2013) Once again, GSA recognizes that LEED works http://www.usgbc.org/articles/once-again-gsa-recognizes-leed-works SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
LEED Certified Buildings - Energy Energy Consumption Evaluation of U.S. Navy LEED-Certified Buildings (Menassa et al., 2012): 9 of 11 LEED buildings did not achieve a 30% savings in electricity consumption, while seven of eleven met water consumption savings requirements http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000218 Post-Occupancy Energy Consumption Survey of Arizona’s LEED New Construction Population (Oates and Sullivan, 2012) http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0000478?journalCode=jcemd4& The LEED NC sample also underperformed both the design and baseline energy use simulations SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
LEED Certified Buildings - IAQ Indoor Air Quality- Occupant Satisfaction in LEED and non-LEED Certified Buildings (Altomonte and Schiavon, 2013) http://escholarship.org/uc/item/4j61p7k5 • 144 buildings (65 LEED certified) and 21,477 individual occupant response (10,129 LEED Buildings) • Not a significant influence of LEED certification on occupant satisfaction with indoor environment quality SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
What is the true story? Why LEED certified buildings save energy or cannot save energy? • Design team has to demonstrate/prove the facility is energy efficient What Makes a LEED Certified Building to Save Energy and Provide Better Indoor Air Quality? COMMISSIONING SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
What is New-Construction Commissioning? A systematic quality assurance process of verifying that building systems are designed, installed, tested, and they are capable of being operated, and maintained to perform as intended, or as the owner expects. SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
What does Owner Expect from Commissioning Authority? CxA conducts a series of tests to see how the building will work under normal operating conditions. These tests will detect any faults and problems before the owner takes possession and occupies the building. SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Benefits Benefits to Owner: • Improved Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Occupant Comfort • Documented Maintenance Requirements • Improved Staff Training • Increased Life of Equipment • Reduced Operating Costs • Fewer Comfort Problems Benefits to Contractor: • Reduced Warranty Issues • Reduced Contractor Callbacks SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Process • Review Owner’s Project Requirements • Coordinate Basis of Design Document • Commissioning Specifications • Commissioning Plan • Design review • Review submittals • Construction observation • Pre-functional checks • Functional testing • Cx Issue resolution • Training • Review O&M manuals • Systems manual • Re-Commissioning • Commissioning Report SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Team Owner’s Team: • Construction Engineer • Project Manager • Facility Manager • Maintenance Team Contractor’s Team: • Project Manager • Quality Control Manager • Subcontractors: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Controls Test & Balance Design Team: • Architect, Mechanical Designer, Electrical Designer Commissioning Authority: • Certified by ACG (AABC Commissioning Group), ASHRAE, BCA (Building Commissioning Association), NEBB (National Environmental Balancing Bureau) SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems • Related to Design • Related to Installation • Related to Owner • Related to Contractor • Related to Commissioner SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Design • Sequence of Operation does not Integrate Energy Savings Operations • Important IAQ Details for Building Pressurization Missing • Demand Control Ventilation at Minimum VFD Position does not Perform • Sufficient Maintenance Clearance not Provided SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Design SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Design SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation • Duct Leakage • Weather Proofing • Corrosive Couplings, Bolts & Nuts • Un-insulated/Incomplete Duct Work • Modulating Dampers/Actuators not Installed Correctly, & therefore not Responding to Control Commands • Condensation because of Improper Installation SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation Duct Leakage SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
November 12, 2013 Weather Proofing SAME, Honolulu HI
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation Corrosive Couplings, Bolts & Nuts SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation • Condensation because of Improper Installation SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Installation SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Owner • OWNER needs to take part in commissioning activities • OWNER needs to respond to comments in Cx issue resolution log • OWNER needs to actively monitor the building performance after turnover • OWNER’s input and support is strongly needed especially when CxA makes recommendations that will effect building energy performance, but not necessarily included in the original construction documents SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Contractor • Contractor needs to understand that they benefit most from commissioning: reduced warranty issues, reduced contractor call- backs. • Contractor needs to understand Cx comments are not to show contractors mistakes but to coordinate successful completion and turn over of the building. SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning Problems Related to Commissioner • Less involvement during design phase • HVAC and building system sequences are nor verified during commissioning • Functional Tests are developed for individual equipment but not whole systems • Sensor calibration not verified • Building schedule is not coordinated • Rigorous of commissioning testing is brief, not detailed enough SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Commissioning can Delay Equipment Failure SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
You Decide/Answer: “Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Yes, but …” http://archive.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc51142.pdf “Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Not really…” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877880900 187X Energy Savings Potential is Still Real SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Conclusions • LEED Certification is not a guarantee for energy saving and better indoor air quality • Commissioning is the key for saving energy and better indoor air quality, provided that Commissioning Comments are taken into consideration during Design and Construction. • Commissioning can extend the life of the building and equipment; resulting less maintenance time. RECOMMENDATIONS • Commissioning Authority should be hired by Owner, independent of design team and contractor • Measurement and verification must be mandatory • Measurement and verification must be conducted continuously SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
Thank You Melek YALCINTAS, Ph.D., P.E., CxA, LEED-AP AMEL Technologies, Inc. Manoa Innovation Center 2800 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 251 Honolulu, HI 96822 Phone: 988-0200 E-mail: melek@ameltech.com SAME, Honolulu HI November 12, 2013
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