AirAdvice's newly released State of Building Performance Report 2007 defines the current state of HVAC system performance in North America, and reveals that over 90% of all commercial buildings have at least one HVAC problem waiting to be addressed.

The report combines the latest industry findings with the AirAdvice Indoor Environment and Building Performance Database (IEBPD), a collection of data from over 300 customized commercial building assessments over the past year and over 3,700 individual indoor environment analyses conducted in cooperation with over 1,500 HVAC professionals since March 2004.

This data shows that:
Most buildings suffer from two or more basic comfort or energy efficiency flaws Conditions that are likely to generate comfort complaints exist in over 75% of buildings surveyed
Over-ventilation is the most common cause of excessive HVAC-related energy use

The report can prove helpful to many different professionals in the HVAC industry. "In addition to quantifying the prevalence and nature of commercial building performance issues, the AirAdvice State of Building Performance Report 2007 summarizes the significant economic costs of these issues," said Gary Frayn, AirAdvice vice president of commercial development. With the help of the report in highlighting common problems found in many buildings, "performance issues in commercial building can be effectively addressed and resolved, creating both new business opportunities within the industry as well as improved performance outcomes," said Frayn.

Some key findings can help address performance issues such as comfort complaints and occupant/employee satisfaction, high energy costs, and sustainability issues. For example, the report findings show that:

Over 80% of buildings surveyed showed evidence of over-ventilation. Improving ventilation control offers a significant potential for energy savings, up to 40% in many cases.

Less than half of buildings surveyed maintained temperatures within 2°F of the specified set point. One in five buildings surveyed experienced actual temperatures that were more than 5° from the specified set point. There is a direct relationship to temperature variation and comfort complaints. Based on ASHRAE comfort models the predicted rate of dissatisfaction is as high as 30% when the temperature swings are greater than 5°, resulting in productivity loss.

Nearly one-quarter of buildings surveyed were found to have inefficient temperature control, with the temperature in the space significantly higher than the heating setpoint or lower than the cooling setpoint. The potential exists for energy savings of up to 10% if more precise temperature control at the specified set point could be achieved.

Read the entire report for more detailed analysis of data and for information that could be presented to a customer to help describe the energy cost effects of inefficient energy systems. The full AirAdvice State of Building Performance Report 2007 is available for download at www.airadvice.com/commercial/report-form.php. Or, visit www.airadvice.com for additional commercial building performance resources and information.