A Field Perspective on Engineering Commissioning Resources
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  • Home
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  • SketchUp Models
    • SketchUp Resources
    • Bureaucratic Affairs Building HHW System Logic Exercise
    • Bureaucratic Affairs Building Scavenger Hunt
    • Chilled Water Plant System Diagram Exercise
    • The HIjend Hotel >
      • Chilled Water Plant Scoping Exercise
      • Ballroom AHU Scoping Exercise
      • Cooling Tower Scoping Exercise
  • Tools
    • Altitude Correction Factor
    • Economizer Evaluation Checklist
    • Eikon for Educators and WindLGC
    • Effective Duct Length Tool
    • Excel Third Axis Tool
    • Excel Time Value Conversion
    • Insulation Savings Tools
    • Logic Diagram Tool >
      • Logic Diagram Example - Discharge Air
      • Logic Diagram Example - CHW Plant 01
      • Logic Diagram Example - VAV AHU
    • Mixed Air Calculations
    • Monitoring Plan Spreadsheet
    • Pipe Friction Chart
    • Plot Digitizer >
      • Plot Digitizer Pump Curve Example
    • Square Law Spreadsheet
    • System Diagram Symbols
    • Thermodynamic Diagrams Spreadsheet
    • Universal Translator Data Analysis Tool
    • y = (m * x) + b Spreadsheet
  • Useful Formulas
    • Affinity Laws
    • Circular Equivalent Duct
    • Effective Duct Length
    • FT Guide Appendix C
    • HVAC Equations and Concepts
    • Hydraulic Diameter
    • Pump Power and Energy
    • "Square Law"
  • What's That Thing?
    • Cooling Towers
    • Pumps
    • Valves
  • Resources
    • Bill Coad's Writings
    • Data Logging Resources
    • EBCx Skills Guidebook
    • Energy Design Resources
    • Fisher Controls Valve Cavitation Bulletin
    • Functional Testing Guide
    • Honeywell Gray Manual
    • MCC Powers Bulletins
    • NBCIP Reports
    • PEC Tool Lending Library
    • PID Resources
    • Pneumatic Control Resources
    • Resource List
    • Scoping Resources
    • TAB Resources
    • Vintage Carrier Design Manual
    • VRF Systems
    • Williams' Wisdom
  • Videos
    • Bureaucratic Affairs HHW Logic Answers
    • Cooling Tower Flow Variation
    • Economizer Stratification
    • Functional Testing
    • Induction Principles
    • Monitoring Plans
    • CW Pump Deadheaded by Tower Lift
    • Ripple Effects
    • Testing a Pump
    • The Garden of Low Entropy
    • Variable Flow Systems
  • Training
    • Materials from Classes and Presentations >
      • ACEEE
      • ASHRAE
      • ASHRAE - Engineers Notebook
      • BCxA and NCBC
      • BEST Institute
      • Case Studies
      • ERDC 2020 RCx Academy
      • ELPNW
      • ICEBO
      • Marriott AEP
      • Magazine Articles
      • NAVFAC
      • Pacific Energy Center Design, Performance and Commissioning Issues Classes
      • Pacific Energy Center EBCx Project Review
      • Pacific Energy Center EBCx Workshop Series >
        • EBCx Workshop Series 12
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        • EBCx Workshop Series 16
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      • Portland General Electric
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    • On Demand Training >
      • Benchmarking UCA and Scoping
      • Loads and Psychrometrics
      • Induction Motor Principles
      • Introduction to Functional Testing
      • Scope of Work Documents
      • System Diagraming
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Existing Building Commissioning Scoping Resources

 
The Information on this page is intended to complement the information on the EBCx Skills Guidebook page and in the on-demand video about benchmarking, utility consumption analysis and scoping by providing support for the initial phases of the project, which generally involve applying the first two key commissioning skills described in the Guide Book;
  • Benchmarking and Utility Analysis
  • Scoping
When you benchmark a facility, you look at how much energy it consumed over the course of a year on a kBtu/sq.ft. basis and then compare it to similar facilities in similar climate zones with similar operating profiles.   The EBCx skills guidebook provides more detail as well as links to a number of resources for doing this.   But the spreadsheet below is one that I use for benchmarking and may expadite the process for you once you understand how it works.    
benchmarking_-_basic_vwebr1.xlsx
File Size: 1024 kb
File Type: xlsx
Download File

You will find a number of blog posts that discuss benchmarking or benchmarking applications in these blog posts.
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Once you have gathered the utility data to do your benchmark and average daily consumption analysis, there is a technique that you can use that leverages that data along with the LBNL Cost and Benefit of Commissioning report metrics, and the Owner's financial perspective (the ROI/simple payback they will support for an energy conservation project) to project the savings potential and budget for the project.  I discuss that technique in this blog post, and the spreadsheet below is the one I use to do the analysis.
cost_benefit_assessment__vweb.xlsx
File Size: 829 kb
File Type: xlsx
Download File

At some point, you will need to go visit the facility and start looking for opportunities, things like selector switches in "Hand" or throttled valves on the discharge of pumps or trends on the flow or amps for a variable flow system that show that the system is not actually varying flow at all.  Each of the things that you discover or "find" is called a "finding" in the industry.

When you discover something, you should start a findings list.  In other words, you should write it down because that is going to become the driver for making improvements.  Initially the findings list will just be a list of ideas.  But it is actually a living document and becomes a way to present ideas to an Owner and track your progress.  The cost benefit assessment tool above includes a tab that is a template for a findings list.
Finally, the folks behind the RCxU YouTube Channel developed developed a "cheat sheet" to help guide folks to opportunities as they scope a facility.  And they have been kind enough to share it with me and thus with you and you will find a download that contains it below.
rcx_findings_targets.pdf
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

 It is important to realize that this is a guidance document that includes common targets, but certainly is not all-inclusive.  So, please do not use it as an excuse to "take off your thinking cap" when you are out there poking around in a building.  I have been doing this for a while, but several times a year I discover something I have not seen before.  
​
In addition, there are a number of blog posts that I have written that explore and/or illustrate scoping, identifying, and developing existing building commissioning finding.  Note that I am always adding things on this topic so you may also want to simply pick "Retrocommissioning" from the categories drop down to get the complete list.  In any case, reading these posts will not only expose you to the specific topic they cover, it will also expose you how to think about the process, which is the real trick.

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