Retro-Commissioning

According the U.S. EPA, “When standardized maintenance and energy maintenance procedures fail to fix chronic building problems, recommissioning provides a systematic approach for discovering them.”

We have found that this approach has been extremely rewarding for our customers who have in-house maintenance and engineering staff.  Those employees are in charge of keeping the equipment running while maintaining a safe comfortable environment for employees.  The additional task of ensuring the equipment is also running at peak energy performance is sometimes lost and that is where our team can help to support internal staff.

What is Retro-Commissioning?

Retro-Commissioning is a process of testing, trouble-shooting, and adjusting systems in an existing building to improve energy performance across all energy types.  By optimizing how equipment and systems operate, the process can significantly reduce energy consumption and utility costs with little financial investment.

Focus on low or no cost improvements to building control systems and equipment that can be implemented quickly.  Possible improvements include:

• Calibration and upgrade of energy management systems and controls
• Review and adjustment of lighting and HVAC schedules
• Functional testing and documentation of HVAC equipment
• Tightening of schedules and set points
• Optimization of hot and chilled water temperatures
• Calibration of boiler and burner controls
• Reset of pump and fan speeds

Benefits of Retro-Commissioning include:

• Energy savings of 5-15% are often achieved
• Energy reduction
  
• Operating cost savings
• Improved indoor environment
• Increased productivity
• Better building performance and reliability
• Increased attention to proper system control and maintenance
• Renewed commitment to operations training
• Identification of capital projects that can achieve further energy reductions