Tab Service
TESTING ADJUSTING AND BALANCING
Today's buildings are complex - they have highly interdependent systems with sophisticatd controls - and even small operational problems can have large impact on performance. Equipment and systems must work together effectively and efficiently to meet the building owners operating requirements. No matter how carefully a building is designed, if the systems, equipment and materials are not installed and operating as intended, the building will not perform well. Similarly, over time, systems age and performance begin to degrade. Building uses can also change - occupants move, spaces are reconfigured, new equipment is added - making previous systems and settings ineffective.
TAB is a quality assurance process that looks at how and why a building's systems are operated and maintained and then identifies ways to improve overall building performance.
Commissioning a new building, or a new system within an existing building, ensures operation as the owner originally intended and the building operators are adequately trained to reliably maintain all systems and equipment.
~ Getting building systems to work as they were intended
TAB:
~ Verifies that equipment is installed and operating properly, resulting in a longer lifespan, increased reliability and fewer repairs.
~ Optomizes energy Performance
~ Improves indoor enviromental quality by preventing the problems that lead to uncomfortable conditions, reducing occupant complaints
~ Meets sustainable building goals and is required for LEED certification
~ Documents and instructs building staff on how to operate and maintain the building
~ Ensures that building documentation is accurate and complete
TAB addresses root causes to systematically ensure that building systems operate efficiently, effectively and reliably, and ensures that facility inprovement measures continue to persist over time.
NEW BUILDING COMMISSIONING
The term commissioning comes from shipbuilding. A commissioned ship is one deemed ready for service. Before being awarded this title, however, a ship must pass several milestones. Equipment is installed and tested, problems are identified and corrected and the prospective crew is extensively trained. A commissioned ship is one whose materials, systems and staff have successfully completed a thorough quality assurance process.
Building commissioning takes the same approach to new buidings or systems. When a building is commissioned, it undergoes an intensive quality assurance process that begins during design and continues through construction, occupancy and operations. Commissioning ensures that everything operates as the owner intended and that building staff are prepared to operate and maintain systems and equipment as designed. The main component of commissioning involves testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB).
In new buildings, the testing, adjusting and balancing process includes -
Definition of the owner's project requirements
Review of the design drawings and specifications
Review of submittals
Inspection of installed equipment
Functional testing of systems
Training
Documentation
~ Decrease energy costs by increasing energy efficiency.
EXISTING BUILDINGS
Existing building commissioning, testing, adjusting and balancing (or retro commissioning) is the application of the same pricipals to existing buildings. Depending on the age of the building, commissioning (TAB) can often resolve problems that occured during design or construction, or address problems that have developed throughout the building's life.
Commissioning, testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) enhances a preventive maintenance program, and for buildings that do not have an active program, commissioning can be a key element in re-establishing control over the building's maintenance processes and procedures.
Typically, existing building commissioning, testing and balancing (TAB) focuses on improving the overall performance of a building by investigating and improving how systems operate together. While most buildings can benefit in some ways commissioning, some are better candidates than others. The worst performing buildings are not the most cost-effective candidates for commissioning, especially if they have major equipment and systems that are need of significant energy upgrades. Systmes retrofits or equiment replacement would often be the first step in such buildings, with commissioning to follow. Identifying which is which is an essential part of the planning phase of a commissioning project.
TYPICAL PHASES OF EXISTING BUILDING TESTING AND BALANCING
1. Investigation - During investigation, the commissioning team conducts a systematic analysis of the building's performance through observation, review of the building documents and O&M practices and short-term trending and testing of building systems.
Depending on the scope of the project, the investigation can take anywhere from several days to several months to complete. The results of this analysis are summarized for the owner in a List of Facility Improvement Measures.
Review facility documentation - A thorough review of the building documentation allows the TAB services team to better understand the building's major energy uses and integration issues. Ideally, a building operator assigned to the project helps gather the appropriate documentation and answer questions for the team.
Perform diagnostic monitoring and functional tests. - Once the commissioning team completes the facility site visits the building staff interviews and carefully reviews facility documentation, the next step is to gather exact data on when and how the systems operate through diagnosting and functional tests. This helps to identify, characterize and confirm improvement opportunities as well as begin to detect the root causes of performance deficiencies.
2. Develop a List of Facility Improvement Measures (FIM'S) - This is a summary list of findings generated during the investigation process.
3. Prioritize and Select Measures for Implementation - The commissioning team presents the list of FIM's results to the owner and assists with selecting measures for implementation. Simplae low-cost repairs may be selected for immediate implementation.
4. Develop an Implmentation Plan - The way implementation is carried out varies greatly among projects. Each building will require different types of measures, each owner is faced with unique budgetary and administrative situations, and each building staff will have different capabilities and contractor relationships. An Implementation plan organizes and defines the work needed to obtain the required results. Primarily, the Implementation Plan includes a scope of work for addressing each issue or improvement that the owner has selected to implement along with requirements for verification.
5. Persistance Phase - A number of recommended activities can be undertaken and documents prepared to ensure that the FIM's continue to perform properly over their life cycle. Training, measurement and verification strategies and tools are provided and employed to facilitate the continuous improvement of facility performance to meet the current and future facility requirements.
~ High-performance buildings are good for your bottom line.
ROCKY POINT ENGINEERING AND TAB SERVICES
Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. is a building services mechanical engineering company based in South Western British Columbia, with offices on Vancouver Island and in the lower Mainland. Since our establishment in 1997, we have provided quality design and construction phase services to a diverse clientele, encompassing the education, health, commercial, residential and recreation markets. We specialize in mechanical upgrade projects, where our thorough investigation of existing building conditions results in well-planned designs and projects consistantly meeting the owner's budget and scheduling criteria. Rocky Point Tab Services is a subsidiary company that provides new and existing building testing, adjusting and balancing services.
CONTACT
Stephen McNicholls - stephen@rockypointengineering.com
Dave Wadeson - dave@rockypointengineering.com
Website Address - www.rockypointengineering.com
REDUCE ENERGY COSTS
Energy costs can represent as much as one third of a building's operating expenses, but they don't need to. There is energy savings potential in almost every building. Decreasing energy costs by increasing energy efficiency is not only good for the enviroment, its good for the building owner. Reduced energy costs increase net operating income (NOI) and have a direct effect on the building's appraised value.
As a recent study found, commissioning significantly reduces energy costs. * Commissioning adntesting, adjusting and balancing (TAB), the authors conclude "is one of the most cost-effective and far reaching means of improving the energy efficiency of buildings." Energy savings vary depending on the buildings size, energy intensity and the scope of commissioning activities. In existing buildings, commissioning was found to produce a median savings of 15%. Another study found energy savings ranging from $52,000 to $168,000 per year in office buildings, and savings in the range of $220,000 in laboratories.
Energy savings from commissioning continue to save money for years after completion. A study found that an average 80% of savings persist for at least three years after the commissioning process is complete. What's even better, many energy-saving fixes are inexpensive to implement. Funding assistance is often available from utilities, governments and other agencies.
