Commissioning, “The process of ensuring that systems are designed, installed, functionally tested, and capable of being operated and maintained to perform in conformity with the design intent”.
Instances where HVAC systems were never commissioned typically exhibit one or more of the following symptoms.
While today's HVAC systems are equipped with advanced controls and highly efficient components to aid in reducing a building's energy consumption, they require fine-tuning to operate at their highest level of efficiency while providing optimal climate conditions for occupants and contents of commercial spaces.
If you want to ensure that your commercial building's HVAC system operates to the highest caliber, it's important to ensure that the system is properly commissioned. HVAC commissioning is the process in which an HVAC contractor (preferably the one who installed the system) checks to make sure that the newly installed equipment is operating properly – all controls and sensors are effective, all ductwork output and intakes are working well, and that desired temperatures are being achieved with the HVAC system. It is only through commissioning that commercial property owners can ensure that the investment they've made into an advanced HVAC system works properly from the start.
If your building's HVAC system was not to your knowledge, properly installed, it's important to have a contractor come in to fine-tune the system and ensure that it's functioning to the best of it's ability. This process is called retro-commissioning, since it's occurring after the initial installation of an HVAC system. Besides improving the overall performance of your system, retro-commissioning is also a relatively inexpensive way to increase a system's energy efficiency without having to invest in a totally brand new system.
Likewise, even buildings that were initially commissioned will likely find that an HVAC system becomes "touchier" as time goes on; it may run more than it did initially (leading to higher energy bills) or may not be properly maintaining desired climatic conditions in certain parts of the building. This drop in performance is called "drifting" and it occurs with all commercial HVAC system over time. That's why it's important for all commissioned and retro-commissioned buildings to undergo re-commissioning every three to five years.
Again, re-commissioning is a relatively low cost way to improve energy efficiency. Like providing routine maintenance for your HVAC system, re-commissioning is an important part of ensuring that your equipment lasts as long as it can.