Continuous Commissioning, which is also known as Ongoing Commissioning refers to the process of maintaining the functional and efficient operation of building equipment and systems. Be advised that we cannot use the term "Continuous Commissioning", as it is trademarked by Texas A&M. This is precisely why many use the reference of "Ongoing Commissioning".
New and existing buildings can be commissioned, but energy savings from commissioning may not persist over time as new problems arise due to equipment aging, changes in use, alteration in control settings, etc. For example, a study of 52 economizers at 22 sites that had been commissioned when built found that 29 had stopped working after “a year or two.”[1] However, it appears that hardware-based commissioning measures persist more often than controls-based measures.[2,3]
Ongoing commissioning speaks to the challenge of ensuring that energy savings from commissioning persist by affording the ability to diagnose problems as they arise and to ensure that building equipment and systems continue to perform at a high level under current building conditions and requirements. This is particularly important in this current economic downturn in which inhouse facilities resources are extremely limited. By contracting with a capable company such as DCSi / Prometrics Worldwide, the facility's resources are enhanced through use of our staff.
Ongoing commissioning achieves energy savings in two ways:
1. First, from the initial commissioning of the building, (or retrocomissioning) with potential additional savings from optimization of building performance, and
2, Second, from maintaining the savings over time. The actual energy savings potential from retrocommissioning a given building varies greatly and depends on the types of systems in place, how well the building operators maintain it, and what failures occur.
Ongoing commissioning also enables building operators to validate that identified problems are addressed and actually fixed. This is an important issue, as it affirms the necessity of maintaining the investment.
"If you want to lose your credibility (and sales people are WORTHLESS without credibility) and kill a relationship, SURPRISE people (ie: Announce a price increase effective today versus 3 months notice)." - Mark Panko
References
1. Energy Design Resources. 2001*. Design Brief: Economizers. Design Brief Prepared for Energy Design Resources by Financial Times Energy Inc. www.energydesignresources.com/resource/28/.
2. Potter, A., H. Friedman, T. Haasl, and D. Claridge. 2002. “Investigation of the persistence of new buildings commissioning.” Proc. ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. http://tinyurl.com/2gfw46 (or http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1699&context=lbnl).
3. Friedman, H., A. Potter, and T. Haasl. 2002. “Persistence of Benefits from new building commissioning.” Proc. ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. http://tinyurl.com/yw65q5 (or www.peci.org/library/PECI_Persistence1_0603.pdf).
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