Executive Order 13423 Technical Guidance - Commissioning
General Principles and Commitments
Employ total building commissioning practices tailored to the size and complexity of the building and its system components in order to verify performance of building components and systems and help ensure that design requirements are met. This should include a designated commissioning authority, inclusion of commissioning requirements in construction documents, a commissioning plan, verification of the installation and performance of systems to be commissioned, and a commissioning report.
Technical Guidance
Introduction
Building Commissioning is a systematic approach to improving system performance, operation & maintenance, indoor air quality & thermal comfort, and energy efficiency, as well as benefits like improving occupant comfort, health & welfare, and productivity, in both new and existing buildings. These activities are not, as many owners and managers believe, part of the typical design and construction process or part of standard operation & maintenance service contracts. Commissioning goes beyond testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) and traditional inspections. Commissioning involves functional testing to determine how well the building systems, like Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Lighting, work together. Commissioning also seeks to determine whether the installed building equipment (e.g chillers, boilers, motors, airflow system) meets a facility's goals or whether it needs to be adjusted to improve the efficiency and overall performance, consistent with the original design intent. The long-term life-cycle benefits of commissioning far outweigh the short-term up-front investments, as borne out by many documented case studies, both in the public and private sector building/facility infrastructure. Green building rating systems and certification programs have given a significant boost to the role of Building Commissioning, as part of the Efficient and High Performance Building stock.
Additional Considerations
The building shall be commissioned before occupancy is allowed. In addition, an evaluation of the completed and occupied project shall be conducted, consistent with current Capital Asset Planning requirements.
Major Resources
WBDG
Design Objectives
Optimizing HVAC Life-Cycle Performance
Project Management
Model Contract and Specification Language
01 91 00 (01810) - Commissioning
Publications
- Building Commissioning Guide, GSA
- "Building Commissioning Guidelines: Resources on Building Systems Performance" Portland Energy Conservation Inc.(PECI), 2001
- Continuous Commissioning Guidebook for Federal Managers, FEMP
- Model Commissioning Specifications
Training
- Building Commissioning: Ensuring High Performance Green Buildings—Building Commissioning helps prevent building failures and optimizes performance by creating a documented process that ensures quality throughout programming, design, construction and operation. This course provides an overview of building commissioning and includes model documents for requests for qualifications, contracts, and training protocols.
