eColI BR I u M • s e Pte M Be R 20 0 9 40

A FAsCInAtIng eRAThe Australian building services industry finds itself in an absolutely fascinating era. Never before has there been so much innovation, and this change is in its infancy.

As part of the changes that are occurring, the importance of building commissioning cannot be understated. Achieving a correctly commissioned building is more important now than ever, and as technology changes so must the standard of commissioning.

“ It seems crazy that a building that has a life of perhaps 50 years has its commissioning period compressed down to perhaps half of what it should be – to the determent of the owner, the tenants and the energy rating of the building”

The introduction of an independent commissioning agent (ICA or CA) has given us the opportunity for a commissioning voice to be heard at the very start of the design process right through until the end of the 12-month defects period. In some cases that timeframe could be several years. This opportunity must not be wasted.

All sHoW, no goIt has long been a source of intrigue to me that some projects had excellent designers and commissioning technicians yet the finished commissioned product still fell short of the mark.

And given that Green-Star-rated projects now have far more professional personnel involved in modelling, reviewing and

submissions than ever before – can one additional commissioning voice improve a building? It is worth looking closer at the areas where improvement can be made.

There are some world-class commissioning technicians and contracting companies in Australia, and some buildings do get well commissioned. There are also, however, yawning gaps on other projects where commissioning is not completed correctly. This invariably causes grief until such time as all issues are addressed.

Of course, there are a number of reasons for this – notably organisation, time constraints, technical experience and budgetary constraints. These are four issues upon which the ICA can have an impact.

tHe Role oF tHe ICAFirst and foremost the ICA is the representative of the owner of the building. The role in essence is to:

1. Be an advocate of the building owner at all times

2. Through a review process, assess the “commissionability” of all building services and systems – during all stages of design

3. At all stages of the project track defects until cleared

4. Insert an evolving commissioning plan into the process

5. Set goals and provide management of the commissioning

6. Ensure all those in the design, construction and commissioning teams are very clear about the standards required

7. Be present on site to witness first-hand what is happening during the commissioning

8. Witness completed systems and ensure a building has been commissioned

9. Provide a detailed commissioning report at the end of the project

10. Be involved throughout the fine-tuning period

oVeRVIeW oF tHe ICA InVolVeMentManagement

The ICA must clearly implement a management structure for the commissioning process. This key plank of the guidelines and Green Building Council of Australia intent is based around two documents:

• theASHRAEGuideline11996(& Guideline 0 2005): The HVAC Commissioning Process

• theCIBSECodeMManagement.

A project commissioning plan is one of the main tools for documenting a project’s development from inception

Mission: commissionThe independent commissioning agent (or ICA) can be an essential member of a construction team. Indeed, achieving a correctly commissioned building is more important now than ever, writes Mark Gilby AM.AIRAH

F E A T U R E

Correct commissioning is vital.

F E A T U R E

to completion. It should be detailed but not complex, and should start at pre-design and be completed with the insertion of the final report at the end of the defects period.

The plan will be project-specific and give direction to the team. It should outline: details of the project and names of the project team; targets and requirements; a matrix of the GBCA points submission and the reports needed to achieve an “As Built” submission; systems to be commissioned; a risk matrix; handover requirements; a format of final report outlining report structure; training details; fine-tuning details; completed reports.

“ I believe the ICA must be actively involved during the commissioning period to firstly check that commissioning procedures are being followed but also to find out what problems are occurring”

At the completion of the project the plan should contain a history of the project. This should include references to relevant documents such as commissioning test reports, procedures used, final reports and any outstanding defects.

Contractors commissioning plan and documentation

The management and planning stage of commissioning is an area where many contracting (and commissioning) companies have traditionally been weak.

To achieve and meet the CIBSE standards and GBCA requirements they have had to step up and produce better work method statements, ITPs, overall commissioning plans and the like.

In most cases companies can see an instant benefit in laying out the documentation very early as if it were the finished product.

Individual contractors have to produce their own commissioning plan based on the management outlined earlier, and the individual CIBSE codes for their discipline.

This documentation should be approved by the commissioning agent. It should include the contractor’s own detailed

commissioning plan. This can be used on site by the contractor’s commissioning technicians – as opposed to documents produced simply to satisfy the GBCA submissions. It would, for example, list the different modes that units should be tested in, and provide the test sheets that will be used to document that system.

Reviews and commissionability

This is a key area upon which the ICA can impact. The critical word for an ICA during the drawings and specifications review is “commissionability”. During the review phases commissioning knowledge is vital in terms of putting forward the case for change at design and shop-drawing stage.

Simply indicating that additional dampers or balancing valves are required makes an enormous difference at the end of the project, and may not mean significant additional costs to the building owner.

Spatial restrictions that constrict duct sizing, AHU discharges, and fan and pump inlet conditions are critical areas that will reduce performance, require upgrades and influence the energy modelling. These areas can easily be lost in early discussions but at this stage of the project are relatively simple to overcome.

Invariably members of the commissioning team will shake their heads when confronted with the same reoccurring problems when they arrive on site just before commissioning. The ICA has the chance to minimise many issues that the commissioning team would regard as dead obvious.

During the initial period of controls and commissioning meetings it is a good idea to try and flush out as many services interface issues as possible. The compatibility of each component to the BMS will be critical, so detailed discussion and even mock-ups may be required in an effort to reduce problems at the commissioning stage.

Commissioning programs and time restraints

Invariably the program item that suffers the most is commissioning. And while the cynics will say it will never change, it must – if buildings are to be better commissioned.

The most commonly asked question of a commissioning technician is, “When

Economical Solutions for Gas Detection

Products matched to HVAC&R applications

Gas Detectors & Controllers

Total Package Provider

Our Knowledge. Our Products. Your Solution.

Car Parks•Refrigerant •

Plant Rooms•

Laboratories•Hospitals•

Marine•

Design, manufacture, install, commission and service

Melbourne Office

Perth Office

03 9751 8025

08 9227 0544

Sydney Head Office02 9913 1566

aus-tech.com.au

EColI bR I u m • S E PTE m bE R 20 0 9 42

F E A T U R E

will you be finished?” There are simply no shortcuts to point-to-point testing of several thousand points, resolving engineering issues, or dealing with several floors that need to be commissioned simultaneously.

The commissioning program must be defended at all times, and the ICA is in a good position to do this. It is one thing to reach practical completion by the skin of your teeth with all of the balancing done and point-to-point completed. It is an entirely different thing to having a fully commissioned and functional building.

“ I believe the ICA must be actively involved during the commissioning period to firstly check that commissioning procedures are being followed but also to find out what problems are occurring”

It seems crazy that a building that has a life of perhaps 50 years has its commissioning period compressed down to perhaps half of what it should be – to the determent of the owner, the tenants and the energy rating of the building.

By and large the fine-tuning period has become the default time for completing commissioning. Some buildings such as correctional centres require a defects-free operation period before occupation. This is in rare in commercial buildings, however, as the trend remains to get the balancing, point-to-point and some functional testing completed before practical completion – with the tenant occupying the building shortly after. A defects-free period before occupation would greatly assist the process but often is not a commercial option.

on-site commissioning

I believe the ICA must be actively involved during the commissioning period to firstly check that commissioning procedures are being followed but also to find out what problems are occurring. This is neither a commissioning management role nor a chance to criticise the site commissioning team. Yet in many cases the ICA will be able to assist with technical knowledge and experience.

At every stage the ICA must be able to add to the project, and this is a perfect time for this to occur.

The ICA will be present during the sign-off of critical plant items and needs to account for all aspects of the services in the final commissioning report. At no stage of the commissioning and inspection process should the design team be excluded. This team should also be present to witness that its design has been correctly commissioned.

Fine-tuning period

A signed contractual agreement for the contractors to be actively involved in a fine-tuning process for the 12 months defects liability period is worth one point under the GBCA submissions. This process involves a minimum of quarterly review and a re-commissioning period at the end of the 12 months.

“ The building industry in Australia has been given an opportunity to improve the commissionability of buildings, the process of commissioning and the end result. It is a chance that building owners should welcome and embrace”

During this period there should be extensive trend logging of systems as well as maintenance of a tenant complaint log. In this way issues can be tracked and resolved more readily during the reviews. The importance of achieving the NABERS ratings is also critical during this time, so checking that the building is operating in line with the energy model is important.

budgETSCommissioning budgets are only incorporated into the contractor’s price and are not normally defined pre-tender. As a consequence the time/ budget allowance in Australia is very rarely enough. The budget for mechanical commissioning is often based on time per unit only, and does not include either management or whole-of-building commissioning.

In some cases allowances for commissioning only come in at around 1 per cent of services contract value, which is nowhere near sufficient. A budget of between 2-3 per cent (and up to 5 per cent for complex projects) of HVAC construction cost is a more realistic figure for correct commissioning. Electrical system commissioning is around 1–2 per cent (Building Commissioning Association).

Although it is far more common overseas, it is rare to find a full-time commissioning manager as part of the mechanical or electrical team. In the future the ICA role should be to assist with correct budgets and advise if the project warrants a commissioning manager. There is definitely a case for a provisional sum to be allowed for commissioning in the tender documents. The ICA is well placed to advice on this.

ExTEndEd CommISSIonIng InvolvEmEnTOne additional role that can be recommended is for the contractor’s commissioning technician to remain on site for part or all of the defects liability period. Although this rarely happens due to budgeting constraints, there is merit in considering this role for large or complex projects. The technician would be either the head mechanical commissioning or controls technician. To have a technician on site would ensure that:

• Alldefectswerecorrectlyfinished

• Boththetrainingandfinetuningprocesses would evolve to another level

• Therewouldbeasignificantlevelofcomfort for the building managers and owners, especially given the significance of achieving the NABERS ratings of the project

• Alloftheexperienceofthesitecommissioning would be retained for the critical first 12 months.

ThE nATIonAl EnvIRonmEnTAl bAlAnCIng buREAu (nEbb)The National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) has a strong presence in most states in Australia – particularly Victoria and Queensland. Nebb has structure of certification whereby

The energy saver amongst fans ECblue

ECblue stands for energy-saving motors with the latest integrated EC technology from Ziehl-Abegg. ECblue fans are distinguished by their ingeniously

simple functionality, highest effi ciencies and very high reliability.

By combining world-leading aerodynamic impellers with high effi ciency motors, Ziehl-Abegg achieve highly optimized solutions with the ECblue products.

Our environment will also look kindly upon ECblue. After all, the cleanest energy is energy which is not consumed. Our experts look forward to assisting you.

More atwww.ec-blue.com

Ziehl-Abegg Australia Pty Ltd39a Swann Drive · Derrimut, Victoria · 3030 · Phone: +61 3 9931 0899 · Fax: +61 3 9931 0499 · info@ziehl-abegg.com.au · www.ziehl-abegg.com.au

The energy saver amongst fans ECblue

ECblue stands for energy-saving motors with the latest integrated EC technology from Ziehl-Abegg. ECblue fans are distinguished by their ingeniously

simple functionality, highest effi ciencies and very high reliability.

By combining world-leading aerodynamic impellers with high effi ciency motors, Ziehl-Abegg achieve highly optimized solutions with the ECblue products.

Our environment will also look kindly upon ECblue. After all, the cleanest energy is energy which is not consumed. Our experts look forward to assisting you.

More atwww.ec-blue.com

Ziehl-Abegg Australia Pty Ltd39a Swann Drive · Derrimut, Victoria · 3030 · Phone: +61 3 9931 0899 · Fax: +61 3 9931 0499 · info@ziehl-abegg.com.au · www.ziehl-abegg.com.au

EColI bR I u m • S E PTE m bE R 20 0 9 44

F E A T U R E

individuals and companies can become certified in air, hydronic, sound and vibration, cleanrooms and the like. In the US it has multiple other certifications (including “whole of building commissioning”), which will in time be introduced here.

NEBB currently is not recognised by the GBCA in the same context as the CIBSE commissioning codes are, but it is expected to at least gain recognition within the technical manuals in the near future.

Aside from setting high balancing standards, the great advantage of NEBB is that it produces certified companies and individuals via a very detailed study and exam process. A NEBB-certified supervisor would be suitable to be an ICA or manage the contractors commissioning team. A NEBB-certified technician is the right person to carry out the commissioning.

Some states have TAFE courses. However, NEBB currently it is the

only organisation in Australia that maintains commissioning standards and certification – it is the industry standard. It will not replace the ASHRAE and CIBSE code requirements in the GBCA manuals but has its place in achieving high standards of commissioning and should, I believe, be recognised within the technical manuals and specifications in general.

WhERE To FRom hERE?The role of the ICA in Australia is still evolving and therefore is still open to a degree of interpretation at several levels. Clearly, however, the ICA should have a major impact on any project and be one of the first people engaged to the team. Of course, the degree of impact will depend on the individual or company involved, and the amount of resources that an ICA company has should be checked before engagement. Significantly, the ICA should not be appointed just to gain the GBCA point for Man-4.

The building industry in Australia has been given an opportunity to improve the commissionability of buildings, the process of commissioning and the end result. It is a chance that building owners should welcome and embrace.

The author wishes to acknowledge insights into the ICA role shared with Rob Lord, John Penny, Mark Jacobson, Mike Abel and Barry Wormald. ❚

AbouT ThE AuThoRMark Gilby is the founder of Flowtech Air Conditioning, and has been involved in commissioning since 1980. Beginning his working life as a refrigeration mechanic in Adelaide, he has had the opportunity to work at many levels. He considers and been himself fortunate to have be involved in many major projects, including Energex Newstead, AM 60, the New Port Office, Wesley House, Springfield Towers and the Bundall Corporate Centre.

Would you lIkE To knoW moRE?References and websitesAABC Commissioning Group (www.commissioning.org)

Building Commissioning Association (www.bcxa.org)

Building Commissioning Guide, Version 2.2, DOE/GSA, July 30, 1998

“Commissioning Controls for Energy Efficiency” by John Penny, Ecolibrium, July 2004

Californian Commissioning Collaborative (www.cacx.org)

Californian Commissioning Guide New Buildings

CIBSE Commissioning Code M: Management 2003

Green Age Buildings – The New Challenges for Commissioning by Byron Price, 2005

NEBB Australia (www.amca.com.au/nebb)

NEBB Procedural Standard for Whole Building Systems

of New Construction

■ Independent commissioning agent is selected ■ Pre-design phase commissioning meeting ■ Review schematic design ■ Review design intent

■ Develop initial commissioning plan■ Set target requirements■ Introduce commissioning standards

Pre-design phase

■ Design phase commissioning meetings ■ Perform Commissioning focused document review before tender

■ Implement changes as agreed■ Update commissioning plan

Design phase

■ Attend quarterly building reviews ■ Track defects and complaints

■ Check season testing carried out ■ Re-commissioning period at the end of 12 months

Fine-tuning phase

■ Construction phase meetings with contractors ■ Review shop drawings and submissions ■ Update commissioning plan, including trainingand fine-tuning ■ Review contractors’ commissioning plans ■ Attend controls and commissioning meetings

■ Site inspections ■ Be involved during on-site commissioning ■ Witness and sign off critical systems ■ Produce final report ■ Coordinate training sessions with building operators

Construction phase

Overview of the ICA involvement

Highly Efficient Condensing Boilers28–150kW

UP to 1800 kW in cascade

www.hydroheat.com.au

Highly Efficient Condensing Boilers28–150kW

UP to 1800 kW in cascade• Environmentallyfriendlywith

lowemissiontoreducecarbonfootprint

• Stainlesssteel316doublechamberexchangerwithalargesurfaceareatoensurehighefficiency(90–96%)

• Upto30%savingson gasconsumptionandrunningcost

• AGAcertified#6253and7023

• OutdoorandIndoormodels

• Powdercoatedcasingforhigherdurability

• Compactdesign450–600mm tofitthroughexistingdoors

• Compactandflexibleinstallation, withasingleorcascade(1800kW)boiler(s)

• BMScontrollable,highlyadvancedcontroltechnology–cascadecontrolviaRVA47sequencecontrollerupto12units

• Selfdiagnostic

• Environmentallyfriendlywith lowemissiontoreducecarbonfootprint

• Stainlesssteel316doublechamberexchangerwithalargesurfaceareatoensurehighefficiency(90–96%)

• Upto30%savingson gasconsumptionandrunningcost

• AGAcertified#6253and7023

• OutdoorandIndoormodels

• Powdercoatedcasingforhigherdurability

• Compactdesign450–600mm tofitthroughexistingdoors

• Compactandflexibleinstallation, withasingleorcascade(1800kW)boiler(s)

• BMScontrollable,highlyadvancedcontroltechnology–cascadecontrolviaRVA47sequencecontrollerupto12units

• Selfdiagnostic

PO Box 1045, 58–62 Malcolm Road, Braeside Vic 3195Ph (03) 9588 1299 Fax (03) 9588 2199info@hydroheat.com.au

WorkingTowardsaGreenerFuture