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Make sense of retro-commissioning

14.10.11

Buildings consume 45% of the energy used in the United States. Mandated by Executive Order 13462, federal agencies are required to reduce energy intensity by 3% each year, leading to 30% by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2015 compared to a FY 2003 baseline. A majority of the buildings in operation today were not commissioned during construction and start-up. As the buildings aged and their usage changed over the years, the overall system performances degraded, and in some instances the original design intent may have never been realized, that is, the performance was degraded from the start. Common problems in the existing buildings include but are not limited to excessive equipment maintenance and repair costs, IAQ issues, and high utility costs. The facilities industry, building owners, and federal agencies are looking to reduce their operating costs and high utility costs through a process called retro-commissioning (RCx).

RCx is the practical application of the commissioning process to existing buildings. This process looks into improving the building equipment condition along with the system operations. Depending on the age of the building, RCx can often resolve problems that occurred during design or construction, or address problems that have developed throughout the building's life.

Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer