Originated in the Ship Building Industry – Test “Functionality”. In 1940’s Quality Control Process introduced to Manufacturing, W.

Edwards Deming “Total Quality Management” (TQM) redefined Quality, Rebuilt Japan’s Industrial Sector. 1980’s it was recognized that Buildings have become more Sophisticated. Response by ASHRAE develop a Commissioning Standards for Mechanical & HVAC Systems - Guideline 1 in 1989 and Guideline 0 in 2006 to address TQM in the Building Construction Industry.

The Process is broken into “14 Major Activities” from “Conceptual Design Phase” and ending after the building is turned over to the Owner with “Training on Facility Operations & Maintenance” is confirmed complete.

Building must be “Designed Correctly” in order to be “Constructed Correctly”!

Most Industries have recognized the need for a “Quality Management Process”. Goal is to Reduce their Costs and deliver Superior Products to their customers.

The Building Industry has been far less successful in implementing “Quality Assurance Processes” than other Industries, thus resulting in buildings which cost more to build and use more energy than they should!

A U.S. Dept. of Commerce & Bureau of Labor Statistics study showed that while most industries showed significant productivity increases across the board, the building construction industry lost productivity over the same time period!

Other industry studies have shown that more than 50% of the costs of construction could be wasted, which is due to many factors which began during design and snowballed throughout the construction process!

. . DOES THE DESIGN REALLY MEET OUR GOALS?

Studies have shown that if a “Commissioning Group” is hired during the “Conceptual Design” stage and the MEP Systems are Commissioned, the following project characteristics are typical:

The number of design RFI’s and project Change Orders are reduced by up to 90%.

Over all Construction Costs are Reduced by some 10% to 30% on average per project. The greater the project complexity, the greater the savings potential available.

Building Energy Use is Reduced by some 10% to 30% as compared to non commissioned facilities.

Owner’s have a more productive Operations & Maintenance staff better able to address issues.

Lessons Learned: “Conceptual Design” involvement may have helped circumvent

certain MEP design & operational issues encountered. ( Low Ambient Kits for ACC’s)

MEP System verifications brought to light a number of installation issues which would have detrimental impact on the long term effective operation of said systems. (T’stat Wiring & AHU Dip Switch Settings). Moisture issues also identified.

Performance Evaluations did discover improperly operating HVAC equipment which contributed to the inefficient running of the Air Conditioning Systems. (Refrigerant Over Charging - Wrong Ductwork Flow)

The process discovered the need for greater frequency of filter changing by Maintenance personnel. Additional staff training required to more effectively address HVAC operational issues that may be encountered?

Questions & Answers.