Last month’s column introduced the concept of giving “too much control” to the building operators through the BAS graphic.

Imagine a world where all HVAC equipment, (i.e chillers, variable frequency drives etc.), all BAS sensors, various components of the electrical systems (i.e electrical panels, meters, lighting fixtures etc.), and various components of all other infrastructure systems are connected to a shared, non-proprietary network that integrates the functionality of each system.

The idea for this month’s topic was hatched during a retro-commissioning project, but it offers lessons to be applied to new construction commissioning.

The inaugural AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo is a unique event spotlighting the latest design & building processes, products, and emerging technologies.

Much has been written about systems’ readiness for functional performance testing at the end of construction, and pre-functional checklists have become common elements of the commissioning process.

As demonstrated with manual winterization requirements last month (Winterization and Commissioning, January 2019), systems manuals should include more than a regurgitation of the BAS as-built documents. Not everything in a project is necessarily controlled by the BAS, and, believe it or not, some buildings are still constructed with no central BAS at all.

The industry standard commissioning process includes development of a systems manual to supplement the equipment O&M manuals provided by equipment manufacturers. The systems manual is intended to document at least the following information about each commissioned system:

With the ever-changing field of technology comes improvements in both energy and ease of use for many systems across the industry.

Documentation is a constant throughout the commissioning process, theoretically starting with the owner’s project requirements and ending with the commissioning report.

For many of us involved day to day with the design, installation, and operation of BAS, it often seems like there has been little in terms of new products and innovation.