Raghid Gabrial

Strategic ConsultantAlpin Limited

Commissioning Your Way to

High Performance BuildingsPhoto

1st Annual KGBC Green Building Conference

“Sustainable Housing and Green Living”

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Table of Contents

1. What is Building Cx?

2. The Cx Scope and Process

3. Hiring an Independent Third-

Party CxA

4. Design & Construction Phases

Cx issues

Introduction

01The Importance of Cx

and Cx Benefits02

Conclusions04

1. The importance of BECx in the

GCC region

2. Cx Benefits

LEED Commissioning031. LEED Cx

2. LEED Cx and IAQ

3. LEED Cx and Airtightness Test

Major References:

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What is Building Cx?

ASHRAE Definition

Building Cx reveals the hidden issues involved in design, construction and operational phases.

Apparent Project Issues

Actual Project Issues

CxA,Designer

andContractor

Designer and

Contractor

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What is Building Cx?

Phases of Work

Pre-Design Design

Construction

Post-Construction

(warranty)

Operations“Commissioning is NOT the final 3 months of aproject. It starts from pre-design to operations”

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The Cx Scope

Possible Scope of Work

01 Space Heating and Cooling

02 Refrigeration

03 Ventilation Systems and Controls

04 Lighting and Daylight Harvesting

05 Domestic Cold & Hot Water Systems

06 Renewable Energy Systems

07Building Envelope, Fire Life-Safety Systems,

Security Systems, and Electrical Power

Distribution

08Building Automation System (BAS) and

Energy Management System (EMS)

...and any additional system requested by the client or as required by Green Building Standards.

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The Cx Process

Pre-Design▪ CxA updates the Cx plan

▪ CxA review contractors’ MEPF submittals

▪ CxA chair the Cx Meetings

▪ CxA veirify Pre-functional checklists

▪ CxA verify Functional testing plan

▪ CxA Witness pre-functional and functional tests

▪ CxA review O&M manual

▪ CxA develop system manual (LEED only)

▪ CxA Supervise training of owner’s staff.

▪ CxA Development of final Cx plan

▪ CxA witness Cx and integration activities

▪ CxA develop final Cx report

Construction▪ The owner selects the design team, which

includes the CxA

▪ The CxA consists of the Cx team leader and a

multi-disciplinary team of specialists

▪ Together they will work with the owner to develop

OPR in this phase

Design▪ ReCx

▪ Building fine-tuning

▪ Seasonal testing on all MEP systems

▪ Review of deficiencies from previous Cx reports,

operation logs and concerns as noted by the

building operators

▪ Integration with BIM (Building Information

Modelling) via COBie (Construction Operations

Building Information Exchange)

Post-Construction

▪ CxA create the Cx Requirements & Specifications

▪ CxA review BoD; developed by the designer

▪ CxA update OPR

▪ CxA develops Cx Plan; draft copy

▪ CxA review of the design documents.

Post-Construction PhaseConstruction PhaseDesign PhasePre-Design Phase

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Hiring an Independent Third-Party CxA

TrustedAdviser

Cx Review

Project’sSuccess

Proper Certification

Design Phase issue

• The drawing shows 2 fans in Parallel and 2 is Series

• Ducting arrangement; before and after fans, is not acceptable

• What about SMACNA & AMCA

Construction Phase issue

• Poor workmanship/housekeeping; dusty duct and IAQ requirement

Construction Phase issue

Poor workmanship:• Loose nut support• Support end not filed• Support ends not painted• Flexible duct connections ends kept lose

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The Importance of BECx in the GCC Region

A properly commissionedbuilding envelope maylead to significant energysavings in HVAC systems.

HVAC Failures

Building envelope failuremay also allow watervapour inside what maylead to mold growth.

Mold Growth

Corrosion of façade andsuperstructure is anotherissue that may be causedby intrusion of salty airdue to building envelopefailure.

Corrosion

Sand storms in theregions also contributeto infiltration.

Infiltration

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The Cx Benefits

General Benefits

01 Avoided premature equipment failures

02 Avoided construction-defects litigation

03 Improved end user comfort

04 Mitigated indoor air quality problems

05 Increased staff competence

06 Reduced change orders

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Cx Benefits

Benefits & Value add to construction projects

Financial Savings

Enhanced Quality

Sustainability▪ Lower energy costs▪ Lower operational costs▪ Lower maintenance

costs▪ Shorter building

turnover period▪ Fewer project delays▪ Minimized impact on

late design changes

▪ Lower maintenance▪ Lower change of orders▪ Added value

construction quality▪ Improved air quality▪ Improved occupant

productivity▪ More knowledgeable

O&M staff▪ Improved future design

▪ Reduced energy waste ▪ Reduced water waste▪ Better air quality▪ Reduced condensation

issues▪ Higher MEPF and

Building Enclosure systems operation efficiency

CxA

References:

1) The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Study - Cx data were collected for

643 commercial buildings, commissioned by 37 different Cx providers.

2) U.S. Department for Energy – Cx data were collected for federal buildings in the

U.S.

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Costs and Benefits

Non-energy benefits

• Improved equipment performance

• Worker comfort

• Higher staff engagement

• Improved Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Benefits of Building Cx

Increased profitability for tenants and building

owners

Increased net operating income and

quicker return on investment

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Costs and Benefits

Energy Savings Through Cx

How does Building Cx help to achieve energy savings?

Adequate MEP

System

Good Building

Enclosure

Energy Bills

reduced

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

reduced

Adequate

BMS

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LEED Cx

EA Prerequisite - Fundamental Cx and Verification Required

▪ Credit support design, construction, and eventual operation

▪ Goal: meet the owner’s project requirements for energy, water, indoor environmental quality,and durability.

▪ This optional credit intends to further support the design, construction, and eventual operation ofa project

▪ This credit is divided into the two following parts:

Part 1 – Enhanced Commissioning Guidelines (3 points).Part 2 – Enhanced and Monitoring-Based Commissioning Guidelines (4 points).

EA Credit – Enhanced Cx (2 to 6 points)

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LEED Cx and Indoor Air Quality

▪ LEED V4 establishes minimum and enhanced requirements for IAQ.

▪ To prevent air infiltration and to ensure moisture control are two of the requirements thatcan be achieved through an effective BECx process.

Develop and implement a moisture control planto protect stored on-site and installedabsorptive materials from moisture damage.Also include strategies for protecting thebuilding from moisture intrusion andpreventing occupants’ exposure to moldspores.

“LEED:Moisture Control

Develop a plan to manage fumes and avoidinfiltration to occupied spaces.“LEED:

Outdoor Emissions

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LEED Cx and Air Tightness Testing

▪ An effective way to ensure low external air infiltrationis through airtightness testing.

▪ ASTM E1827 standard establishes procedures forairtightness testing of buildings using an orifice blowerdoor (figure 1).

▪ This technique uses an orifice blower door to inducepressure differences across the building envelope and tomeasure those pressure differences and the resultingairflows (figure 2).

Figure 1 - Airtightness Testing: Orifice Blower Door

Figure 2 - Air Pressure Components on the Building Envelope

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Conclusion

01 High Benefit-Cost Ratio

02 CxA is most effective when implemented at

the pre-design phase

03 CxA leads to more superior buildings with

minimum maintenance required

04 CxA should report directly to

owner/developer to avoid bias

05Long-term savings with energy bills and

lower maintenance exceed up-front costs

with CxA

06 BECx can significantly reduce energy

consumption in buildings

“Cx is the single most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today” (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2009).

Reasons...

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Video: “Cx Process Explained by Alpin Limited”

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