Fundamental, Enhanced, and Monitoring-Based – Oh My!

Buildings often do not perform as intended, which can result in higher energy use than anticipated. Enter commissioning (Cx): a cost-effective process of verifying performance and design intent so that deficiencies can be corrected.

Commissioning is a quality assurance process that ideally begins in pre-design and continues throughout construction and into building operations. It’s used to analyze, document, and test all mechanical and electrical systems within a building to ensure it functions as intended and according to the owner’s project requirements (OPR).

As owners and developers are wanting to get more out of their investments, commissioning has become commonplace as a quality assurance tool. While it does have an added cost, it is likely that Cx will be able to reduce energy and operational costs. It’s a great way to check work and catch mistakes, which can also reduce the need for maintenance over the years.

The LEED rating system has always recognized the importance of commissioning, as seen in the many versions of LEED that have been released over the years. In LEED v2009, project teams could earn up to 2 points for enhanced commissioning (ECx). The most recent version, v4 (including the beta v4.1), has increased the points available to projects instituting more robust commissioning measures to 6 points:

Commissioning in LEED v4/v4.1

• Fundamental Commissioning, prerequisite (0 points)  
• Enhanced Commissioning, credit (2-6 points)
  • Option 1: Enhanced Systems Commissioning (3-4 Points)
    • Path 1: Enhanced Commissioning (3 points)
    • Path 2: Enhanced and Monitoring-Based Commissioning (4 points)
  • Option 2: Envelope Commissioning (2 points)

LEED v4 requires that the Cx process activities are completed for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and renewable energy systems and assemblies in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005 and ASHRAE Guideline 1.1–2007 for HVAC&R Systems, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability.

For Fundamental Commissioning, LEED v4 requires the following:

The commissioning authority (CxA) should be engaged by the end of the design development phase with the following qualifications:

• The commissioning authority (CxA) should be engaged by the end of the design development phase with the following qualifications:
• The CxA must have documented commissioning process experience on at least two building projects with a similar scope of work. The experience must extend from early design phase through at least 10 months of occupancy
• The CxA may be a qualified employee of the owner, an independent consultant, or an employee of the design or construction firm who is not part of the project’s design or construction team, or a disinterested subcontractor of the design or construction team
• For projects smaller than 20,000 square feet (1,860 square meters), the CxA may be a qualified member of the design or construction team. In all cases, the CxA must report his or her findings directly to the owner

The Cx must do the following:

• Review the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), Basis of Design (BOD), and project design
• Develop and implement a Cx plan
• Confirm incorporation of Cx requirements into the construction documents
• Develop construction checklists
• Develop a system test procedure
• Verify system test execution
• Maintain an issues and benefits log throughout the Cx process
• Prepare a final Cx process report
• Document all findings and recommendations and report directly to the owner throughout the process
• During the Cx process, the Current Facilities Requirements and Operations and Maintenance Plan must be prepared and maintained. It should contain the information necessary to operate the building efficiently

There are now three opportunities earn points under the Enhanced Commissioning credit:

1. Enhanced Commissioning

After Fundamental Commissioning, the CxA must also:

• Review contractor submittals
• Verify inclusion of systems manual requirements in construction documents
• Verify inclusion of operator and occupant training requirements in construction documents
• Verify systems manual updates and delivery
• Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness
• Verify seasonal testing
• Review building operations 10 months after substantial completion
• Develop an on-going commissioning plan
• Include all enhanced commissioning tasks in the OPR and BOD

2. Enhanced and Monitoring-Based Commissioning

• Achieve 1. Enhanced Commissioning
• Develop monitoring-based procedures and identify points to be measured and evaluated to assess performance of energy- and water-consuming systems
• The commissioning Plan should also address the following, as it relates to Monitoring-Based system:
  1. Roles and responsibilities
  2. Measurement requirements (meters, points, metering systems, data access)
  3. The points to be tracked, with frequency and duration for trend monitoring
  4. The limits of acceptable values for tracked points and metered values (where appropriate, predictive algorithms may be used to compare ideal values with actual values)
  5. The elements used to evaluate performance, including conflict between systems, out-of-sequence operation of systems components, and energy and water usage profiles
  6. An action plan for identifying and correcting operational errors and deficiencies
  7. Training to prevent errors
  8. Planning for repairs needed to maintain performance
  9. The frequency of analyses in the first year of occupancy (at least quarterly).
• The Systems Manual should be updated with any modifications or new settings.  Reasons for any modifications from the original design should be provided.

3. Envelope Commissioning

• Complete the commissioning process for the building’s thermal envelope in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0–2005 and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Guideline 3–2012, Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability.
• After Fundamental Commissioning, the CxA must also:
  1. Review contractor submittals
  2. Verify inclusion of systems manual requirements in construction documents
  3. Verify inclusion of operator and occupant training requirements in construction documents
  4. Verify systems manual updates and delivery.
  5. Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness.
  6. Verify seasonal testing
  7. Review building operations 10 months after substantial completion
  8. Develop an on-going commissioning plan

Now that we’ve overloaded you with all of the LEED v4 requirements for commissioning, we imagine you have lots of questions. What is the most beneficial path? What are the costs associated with them? Are the added points worth it? Of course, the answers to these questions will vary from project to project. Owners interested in lower utility bills, improved equipment function, reduced building operation and maintenance, and an extended life of equipment will greatly benefit from enhanced commissioning measures.

Option 1, Path 1, Enhanced Commissioning (ECx) is relatively straightforward; there are a few additional requirements above fundamental commissioning that many CxAs are familiar with. Owners and project teams tend to shudder at the sound of Option 1, Path 2: Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx). Lorax has seen only a handful of projects pursue and document this in LEED v4. After attending a session on MBCx at NFMT, Lorax is excited to share a better understanding of what it takes to implement and document this scope for LEED projects.

“Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) combines building energy system monitoring with standard retro-commissioning (RCx) practices with the aim of providing substantial, persistent, energy savings. MBCx is thus a measurement-based paradigm that affords improved risk-management by identifying problems and opportunities that are missed with periodic commissioning or basic functional testing that does not incorporate energy measurement.”

Source: Mills, Evan. Monitoring Based Commissioning: Benchmarking Analysis of 24 UC/CSU/IOU Projects. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, July 28, 2009, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06t5w9mg

Energy Management and Information Systems (EMIS) are fundamental to the MBCx process. EMIS are a broad set of tools that can store, analyze, and display energy use and building systems data including HVAC and lighting. There are a wide range of EMIS tools available, including the free building-level Energy Star Portfolio Manager through a highly specialized system-level Automated Fault Detection & Diagnostics (AFDD) technology, which vary in cost and capability. Commonly, we find that many green buildings utilize a Building Automation System (BAS) for this purpose. BAS, in itself, is often limited and rarely configured to store enough data for the MBCx process. S

Common Types of EMISC

Whole Building Level EMIS

• Benchmarking and Monthly Utility Analysis – often compares historical performance through utility bills or compares to buildings of similar size; annual energy savings of around 2.4%; $
• Energy Information System (EIS)/ Advanced EIS – web-based tools to visualize whole-building and sub-metered energy data; median annual energy savings of 8%; $$-$$$

System Level EMIS

• Building Automation System (BAS) – a tool to operate building HVAC and other energy-consuming systems, can be used to maintain certain conditions and track some key system performance metrics; 10-15% annual energy savings; $$$$ + $-$$ for data integration and performance tracking
• Fault Detection & Diagnostics (FDD) – tool to automatically identify HVAC system or equipment-level faults and isolate root causes; faults can increase HVAC energy use to 30%, so detecting and isolating them can help solve problems; $$$
• Automated System Optimization (AFO) – tool to dynamically change HVAC BAS settings to optimize energy use and/or comfort; $$$

Source: Granderson, J., Lin, G., and Hult, E. EMIS: Crash Course. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, December 13, 2013,https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov

Monitoring-based commissioning is different from typical Cx scopes because it provides real time analytics on an on-going basis with the goal of end-user empowerment for optimized operations throughout the building’s lifespan. MBCx  is often based on Automated Fault Detection & Diagnostics (AFDD) EMIS programming, which involves a two-step process where an error or fault is detected in equipment operation and then the cause of the fault is isolated and reported. This provides valuable information to building owners and engineers about what is going wrong and how you might be able to fix it. This information can aid in reducing operation and maintenance costs, increasing building equipment efficiency, promoting occupant comfort, and reducing energy demand and consumption throughout the life of the building.

Did you know?
A typical Cx scope only tests 10% of all terminal boxes, but MBCx tests 100% on an on-going basis, customized to meet your energy saving needs! Wilson, Chris. Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx) for New Construction.Presented at NFMT, Baltimore, MD. March 28, 2019.

For MBCx, data should be recorded and stored at a minimum of 30 minute intervals, but you can go down to the second. Short intervals like this helps to pinpoint when and where the issue took place, should a fault be detected.

The gang’s all here – the who’s who of MBCx implementation:

• Client/Owner – should be well versed on the benefits and planning/implementation process of MBCx
• Utility/Energy Manager – Manages service providers, tracks data, ensures consistency
• Building Engineer – Assists in EMIS installation and is familiar with building’s control system and architecture
• Owner IT Representative – Supports EMIS design and setup with regard to IT networks, data transfer process, and cybersecurity
• EMIS Integrator – 3rd party who provides overlays for BAS and the initial integration of BAS and 3rd party software
• Commissioning Provider/CxA – Provides data, software, analysis, scope of work, and summary reports

With all the data acquired through the EMIS and guidance from ASHRAE Guideline 36 for High-Performance Sequences of Operation for HVAC Systems, LEED wants teams to focus on including permanent energy monitoring systems, real-time energy analysis, and ongoing commissioning.

How can these savings be visualized?

When implementing a MBCx program for new construction, project teams should consider the following phases:

Concept

• During pre-construction, engage an owner early on the features and benefits of MBCx
• Include MBCx in the OPR and BOD
• Specify the MBCx Plan, network architecture, approved AFDD software, preconfigure rules, and training plan  

Planning

• Establish a Monitoring Action Plan (MAP) for how MBCx will be implemented, using either an existing or new EMIS
• The MAP should define metrics, views, and analytics that will be available through the EMIS
• Specify an EMIS (AFDD, EIS, ASO, etc.) that provides the project-specific information the owner is looking for and a network architecture (ie. Cloud-based vs. server-based)
• Train the operations team and develop a training plan  

EMIS Configuration

• Define data configuration requirements and algorithms
• Calibrate sensors
• Create an EMIS user interface
• Configure AFDD and energy savings/anomaly tracking measures
• Leverage utility incentive to offset cost, if possible (Maryland projects – check out the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program and let us know if you have questions about how you can get a rebate for saving energy!)  

MBCx Implementation

• Identify issues and opportunities using EMIS and MAP
• Identify and implement corrective actions
• Verify performance improvement
• Implement reporting, documentation, and training

Often times, energy savings beyond what the energy model or design called for are found through MBCx. It is estimated that 5-30% of energy is wasted due to faults that go unfixed. If we are able to detect them, think of all the possible energy savings we can garner!

As you can imagine, installing a monitoring-based commissioning system for your building can be very costly due to the level of engagement, the specialized team members, and the necessary equipment. The energy savings, however, may be worth it if the building is large and therefore there is more room for improvement. If you are committed to solving problems as they arise, MBCx might be worth the investment. Lorax recommends that you get the project team together early to discuss your options of incorporating a comprehensive commissioning scope that will help with optimizing your energy performance. Do you have a project starting soon? Let’s chat about your options to save money and improve the bottom line – contact us today!