Non-residential facilities typically have multiple cost components on their electric energy bills. The two largest components are the consumption charge (kilowatt hours consumed over the billing period) and the demand charge. The demand charge is based on the amount of instantaneous power the building draws at any given time, typically within any 15-minute period [...]
After nearly three decades of leading building commissioning projects across commercial, healthcare, and education sectors, I've witnessed firsthand how regular site visits by the Commissioning Authority (CxA) of a project can dramatically improve project outcomes. Here are the five most impactful ways these visits deliver value to clients. # 1. Early Issue Detection Prevents [...]
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the construction industry has faced unprecedented challenges in the supply and distribution of equipment and materials. Costs soared, lead times increased, and delays became commonplace—especially for electrical equipment. Among the most significant delays was the availability of main switchgear, which is essential for establishing permanent [...]
Historical buildings are a unique component of our communities. Preserving these culturally significant buildings, either by adapting or reusing them for a new purpose, is an excellent way to improve sustainability and longevity while maintaining a vital piece of history. Depending on the age of these buildings there may be little to no modern [...]
The emergency generator system often falls within the commissioning agent’s (CxA’s) scope of work, requiring the CxA to oversee field quality control testing such as load bank tests and equipment startups. Functional testing typically involves transitioning a building from normal power to emergency power and back, validating that all systems reliant on emergency power [...]
Have you noticed your facility's electricity bill creeping up over the years? While it might seem like your options are limited to simple fixes like turning off lights and unplugging devices, there's often more potential for savings lurking beneath the surface. Sometimes, in order to find real energy savings, a deeper dive into your [...]
And how qualified commissioning agents are key to the successful operation of these systems Geothermal systems harness the earth's natural ability to transfer heat to provide efficient and sustainable heating and cooling solutions for buildings. Unlike traditional HVAC systems that rely on fossil fuels, geothermal systems utilize the relatively stable temperatures found beneath the [...]
The Cool, Dry & Quiet (CDQ) desiccant wheel, trademarked by Trane, has been around for years, however the application and control of this unique device is not well known by most. We’re going to break down how the CDQ wheel works and share some basic control strategies to help you understand it better. PURPOSE [...]
Since 2008, Sustainable Engineering Solutions has been delivering building systems and equipment that are efficient, effective, and finely-tuned. We’ve grown and learned a lot over the last 15 years, and while our commitment to our work and our clients is timeless, we felt it was time for a new look that reflects the ways [...]
For any project with commissioning, the functional testing portion of the commissioning process is arguably one of the most important and rigorous activities. Unfortunately, if the commissioning process is not properly organized and executed, the functional testing portion of the project may leave the commissioning team with an overwhelming laundry list of issues. However, [...]
