Our quality control is a systematic, documentated, and collaborative process that includes inspection, testing, and training conducted to confirm that a building and its associated serving systems are capable of being operated and maintained in conformance with the design intent. Design intent is the occupants’ assumed intention of the design as well as their assumed operation of the building and the servicing systems. Design intent sets the requirements for occupant satisfaction and forms the foundation and basis of technical criteria and documents—design drawings and specifications.
Air conditioning or HVAC&R systems in buildings are commissioned based on a sequence of planning, design, bidding, and construction. Many installed air conditioned systems do not work as expected by the owners. Because of the higher demands of indoor environmental control, indoor air quality, and energy-efficient operation as well as the advances in technology in recent years, especially the digital controls, an air conditioning system becomes more and more complicated and is required to provide considerably more functions than several decades ago.
avoid system issues
There are many building owners and facility managers who claim that the functional performance of their HVAC&R systems does not meet their expectations. HVAC control systems shall be tested to ensure that control elements are calibrated, adjusted, and in proper working condition. In our more than 15 years of experience we’ve documented the most common issues plaguing the modern buildings.
- Incorrect scheduling of HVAC&R
- Incorrect cooling and heating sequence of operation
- Incorrect calibration of sensors and instrumentation
- Lack of control strategies for optimum comfort and energy-efficient operations
- Improper air and water economizer operations
- Building Management System not fully utilized
- Short cycling of HVAC&R equipment
- Lack of design intent
- Lack of training of HVAC&R operators or service contractor for complex systems
benefits of HVAC&R commissioning
- HVAC&R commissioning is the quality control tool for building owners, and they know that the savings from fewer costly change orders and lower operating and maintenance costs will accrue.
- For those jobs with commissioning requirements, contractors and subcontractors know that it is not advisable for them to cut corners, and they benefit from lowering their cash set-asides for warranty reserves and callbacks.
- The architects can expect a building with far fewer postconstruction headaches to handle after commissioning.
- The engineers know that the HVAC&R systems are virtually assured of operating as intended, thus eliminating postoccupancy troubleshooting visits.
- The building occupants enjoy a higher-performing building with a smoothly functioning HVAC&R system which provides a healthy and comfortable indoor environment with the benefits of increased productivity.
our scope of quality control
- Clarifly owner priorities and design intent. The commissioning outcomes include a healthy and comfortable indoor environment, acceptable indoor air quality, energy efficiency, optimized functional performance, maintainability, and constructibility.
- Document and monitor all facets of construction. Documentation includes preparation of the commissioning specification, preparation of the verification test procedures, and review of key equipment and instrumentation submittals. Monitoring includes preparation of system readiness checklists such as electricity to the fans, pumps, and compressors; monitoring and verifying equipment/system start-up and operation as well as the performance of temperature and BMS controls; and testing, adjusting, and balancing.
- Extensively test all subsystems and their components and controls (acceptance commissioning). Verify and document functional performance testing of all systems including control systems, so that all systems comply with the contract documents. Establish an as-delivered performance record, and verify the as-built record for all systems. The documentation should also include the corrective action reports for every deficiency found, the follow correction and retest.
- Provide detailed training of operating personnel for each major system and equipment. It is important to conduct system training as well as its operation so that all the individual components are functioning together as a system. System operators cannot be expected to operate the system properly unless they know how it is intended to work and why. If possible, operation and maintenance staff are encouraged to participate in the verification tests as an excellent training.
- Continue post-acceptance commissioning and ongoing monitoring. Post-acceptance commissioning and ongoing monitoring are a continuation of adjustment, optimization, and improvement of HVAC&R systems to meet a specified goal by monitoring specific system operating parameters. Data trend and diagnostic capabilities of BMS control systems are valuable during HVAC&R commissioning and post-acceptance commissioning