After planning and preparing for a remote retro-commissioning site visit, as covered in my May 2021 column, commissioning professionals and on-site building representatives should be ready to work together on the fun part. A virtual systems walkthrough can be both productive, from the perspective of finding issues that need attention, and educational, regarding actual equipment conditions and system operations.
Every building (and its systems) needs to be evaluated, as each facility is unique. That is why the pre-visit documentation review, operator interviews, and energy use analysis are so important to making the most of the virtual retro-commissioning process. One cannot go blindly into an existing building with a generic checklist of things to do, many of which do not apply to the building, and expect anything but generic opportunities and non-customized recommendations for implementation. That may be OK as a starting point for an energy audit, but it is not the rigorous process expected from a retro-commissioning project.