Commissioning

Achieve optimal building energy performance

Many buildings are capable of achieving outstanding performance, but technology advancements have made ensuring fully integrated and optimized building systems more demanding. Understanding and reviewing all building systems involved in your project is vital to optimize performance.

Female engineer inspecting a building


Our service

Our team brings a valuable combination of commissioning, sustainability, energy modeling, LEED, and building enclosure expertise – making us uniquely equipped to ensure that your building is achieving its full potential. Since 2000, we have offered not only the right mix of technical capabilities, but also extensive industry experience and understanding of the particularities of diverse climates, materials, and technologies.

At every stage of the project – from design through construction and occupancy – we can help establish requirements, resolve issues, and verify the performance of all systems, including HVAC equipment and controls, lighting and daylighting controls, and domestic hot water and renewable energy systems (photovoltaic, solar thermal hot water, and more). Using leading-edge testing strategies, modeling tools, and technical expertise, we help owners reap the rewards of their design investments, protect the longevity of their equipment, and achieve their intended cost savings and sustainability objectives. In addition to helping new projects realize their full potential, we also deliver services for existing buildings, tuning systems to restore optimal performance and often identifying low-cost ways to reduce utility costs and extend equipment life. 

“Commissioning is arguably the single-most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today.”
—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California Energy Commission
“Research shows owners can achieve savings in operations of $4 over the first five years of occupancy as a direct result of every $1 invested in commissioning—an excellent return on investment.”
—Whole Building Design Guide, a program of the U.S. National Institute of Building Sciences

Commissioning Case Study

  • Two air handlers were programmed incorrectly. They were providing simultaneous heating and cooling and actively working against each other’s programming. Correcting the programming likely saved the project more than $15,000 in annual energy costs.
  • In addition, the temperature sensors were placed on the outside walls and were uninsulated. This configuration caused them to magnify all of their heating or cooling requests. This issue would have cost the facility approximately $2,400 per year if not rectified.