ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 202 Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems is the first standard focused on the commissioning process.
The commissioning process, as detailed in Standard 202, applies to all construction projects and systems and is an industry consensus document.
“Given the integration and interdependency of facility systems, a performance deficiency in one system can result in less than optimal performance by other systems,” says Gerald Kettler, P.E., chair of the committee that wrote the standard. “Implementing the commissioning process is intended to reduce the project capital cost through the warranty period and also reduce the life-cycle cost of the facility. Using this integrated process results in a fully functional, fine-tuned facility, with complete documentation of its systems and assemblies and trained operations and maintenance personnel.”
The process includes specific tasks that will verify that design, construction, verification, testing, documentation, and training meet the owner’s project requirements, according to Kettler. The process begins at project inception and continues for the life of a facility.
The standard defines the commissioning process through 13 functional steps, each of which contains deliverables. The commissioning activities and deliverables are as follows:
- Initiate the commissioning process, including defining roles and responsibilities.
- Define the project requirements. Results will be recorded in the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) document.
- Develop a hard copy of the commissioning process plan.
- Plan the building design fundamentals according to OPR.
- Set the contractor commissioning requirement, which is included in the commissioning specifications.
- Design must be reviewed by the commissioning authority, who will then provide feedback and create a design review report.
- Submittals review must show compliance to the OPR in a submittal review report.
- Observation and testing that verifies system performance must be documented in construction checklists and reports.
- Issues resolution coordination is done with an issues and resolution log.
- Systems manual assembly results must be included in a systems manual for building operation.
- Conduct training for building operations with training plans and records.
- Post-occupancy operation commissioning will provide an end of warranty commissioning report.
- Assembly of a commissioning report captures all of the project commissioning documentation.
Full press release is available on the ASHRAE website.
