Mark Vender
Building commissioning is in the spotlight once again given the coming release of a Standards Australia Technical Specification for building commissioning, and AIRAH’s Commissioning Virtual Forum on June 3.
The recent Expert Group report Leaks, Maintenance and Emissions in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning highlighted the potential for better commissioning to improve the energy efficiency of HVAC&R systems. It pointed to a meta-analysis of commissioning in 643 buildings in the US that found median whole-building energy savings of 16 per cent for existing buildings and 13 per cent for new construction when commissioning was properly completed on the refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
The report also noted that one of the difficulties with commissioning is the lack of industry-wide agreements on the definition, application and scope.
Robert Simic, M.AIRAH, is National Manager – Commissioning Management for John Holland. He will be presenting at AIRAH’s Commissioning Virtual Forum. His presentation will cover the new Technical Specification for building commissioning that specifies requirements for the building commissioning process and its related management activities through the building life-cycle.
“With the release of the Technical Specification for building commissioning we are well on the way for the building industry to improve consistency, awareness and outcomes of the building commissioning process,” says Simic.
“Release of the publication as a Technical Specification supports initial and flexible adoption by industry with the view that industry feedback and continual improvement could transform this publication into an Australian Standard in the future.”
Simic says that standards can play a key role in improving commissioning practices and unlocking the energy savings mentioned above.
“Building commissioning standards can address many of the common issues occurring in industry associated with commissioning,” he says.
“Building commissioning standards will bridge the gaps between technical standards to provide greater clarity, consistency and awareness of the building commissioning process that will inevitably improve outcomes. This is achieved by specifying the process and management requirements.”
For more information on the forum, go to AIRAH’s Commissioning Virtual Forum.
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