Commissioning (Cx) is meant to ensure that building designers, contractors, owners, and operators are accountable for their work, and ideally, the Cx process should begin at project inception and continue through the life of a building. But what should that process itself entail?
Seeking to answer this ASHRAE has published a new standard, Standard 202: Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems. It is the first standard focused on the Cx process and identifies the minimum acceptable process. It is based on ASHRAE’s Guideline 0-2005, which has long been an industry guide for Cx.
The process outlined in the standard defines the Cx process through 13 steps, each of which contains specific deliverables:
- Initiate the commissioning process
- Define the project requirements and develop the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) document
- Develop a written Commissioning Process Plan
- Plan design approach to OPR
- Set contractor commissioning requirements
- Have a design commissioning authority review design
- Have review that verifies submissions are in compliant with OPR
- Observe and test system performance and document results
- Conduct issue resolution coordination via issues and resolution log
- Assemble systems manual for building operation
- Conduct training for building operations
- Conduct post-occupancy operations commissioning and end of warranty commissioning report
- Assemble commissioning report to capture all project commissioning documentation.
In addition to Standard 202, ASHRAE is continuing work on several other guidelines related to commissioning. A copy of Standard 202 costs 479 and can be ordered by calling 1-800-527-4723 or at ashrae.org/bookstore.