Description

Investments in energy efficiency can produce important financial, operational, and environmental benefits. However, full benefits are only possible when all systems and equipment operate to full design intent.

Assuring Design Intent
Field studies show that simply making equipment run as intended can improve energy savings by 10-35%.

Commissioning is a systematic quality process that ensures that energy-efficient technologies deliver the performance owners expect and deserve. This entails much more than one-time operational tests of individual pieces of equipment by contractors. A commissioning agent, involved from concept through full operation, acts on the owner’s behalf to assure quality in design, installation, documentation, testing, and training.

NSTAR provides commissioning as a service for business customers seeking to maximize their return on investment in energy efficiency. NSTAR can provide or recommend commissioning agents, or work with the customer’s own commissioning agent.

Optimizing Key Systems

Commissioning can be appropriate on any project — new construction or renovation. It is particularly valuable in large, sophisticated projects, including:

• Energy management systems
• Refrigeration and chilled water systems
• Variable speed drives
• HVAC systems
• Complex process systems
• Thermal energy storage

Focus on Communication

Most projects involve multiple individuals and teams working in sequence. One element of the job is completed and the result is passed to the next player. Through these many hand-offs, important information can be lost, especially the project’s overall design intent. The commissioning agent fills these potential communication gaps — from owner to architect, to contractor, to manufacturer, to installer, to operator. It is natural to assume that energy systems are operating to specification, or that any problems will be discovered and solved through routine maintenance. However, as energy management systems and other technologies become more sophisticated, the need for commissioning increases. Likewise, routine maintenance typically addresses each component separately rather than verifying operation of the entire system to design intent.

Cost

The cost of commissioning varies by project. Actual cost depends on systems involved, size of the building, the scope of commissioning services desired, and other project-specific variables. As commissioning typically improves the efficiency of energy systems, it often pays for itself over several years. NSTAR may contribute toward the owner’s commissioning expenses. Consult your account executive for more information.

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