Commissioning
Plan for building commissioning in the project planning stage. Building commissioning is the process of ensuring that building systems and equipment are designed, installed, tested, and capable of being operated and maintained according to the owner's operational needs. Building commissioning is a key part of designing and building high-performance buildings because it ensures that the money spent on controls, sensors, and equipment will be paid back over time through energy-efficient building operation. The investment in commissioning an energy-efficient building is a small part of the overall project, yet the paybacks can be large.
Commissioning can certify that a new building begins at optimal productivity and improves the likelihood that the building will maintain this level of performance. Commissioning can restore an existing building to its designed productivity levels and can ensure that building renovations and equipment upgrades function as designed.
Commissioning activities start in the planning stages with the hiring of a commissioning authority and continue throughout project development and after project completion.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) acts as energy policy advisor to 26 Member countries in their effort to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy. The IEA provides support for over 40 international co-operation and collaboration agreements in energy technology R&D, deployment, and information dissemination. One of these agreements is the Implementing Agreement on Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBCS), which focuses its work on ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings. The ECBCS coordinates research projects, or annexes, on various aspects of building commissioning.