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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
The following commissioning process activities must be completed by the project team:
- Designate an individual as the commissioning authority (CxA) to lead, review and oversee the completion of the commissioning process activities.
- The CxA must have documented commissioning authority experience in at least 2 building projects.
- The individual serving as the CxA must be independent of the project’s design and construction management, though the CxA may be an employee of any firms providing those services. The CxA may be a qualified employee or consultant of the owner.
- The CxA must report results, findings and recommendations directly to the owner.
- For projects smaller than 50,000 gross square feet (4,500 gross square meters), the CxA may be a qualified person on the design or construction teams who has the required experience.
- The owner must document the owner’s project requirements. The design team must develop the basis of design. The CxA must review these documents for clarity and completeness. The owner and design team must be responsible for updates to their respective documents.
- Develop and incorporate commissioning requirements into the construction documents.
- Develop and implement a commissioning plan.
- Verify the installation and performance of the systems to be commissioned.
- Complete a summary commissioning report.
Commissioned Systems
Commissioning process activities must be completed for the following energy-related systems, at a minimum (if they are installed as part of the core and shell project):- Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems (mechanical and passive) and associated controls.
- Lighting and daylighting controls.
- Domestic hot water systems.
- Renewable energy systems (e.g. wind, solar).
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Cost estimates for this credit
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This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
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Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
The LEED Rating system requirements for Enhanced Commissioning establish that “an independent commissioning authority (CxA) must lead, review, and oversee the completion of all commissioning process activities.” What specific responsibilities does this entail in a case where more than one CxA from separate companies are engaged to complete commissioning tasks?
The use of the phrase “lead, review, and oversee” defines a high level of participation while providing some flexibility for fitting the process to the project.
Therefore, at a minimum, the lead commissioning agent should be participating in ALL commissioning activities including BOTH fundamental and enhanced commissioning activities. The exact level of leading, reviewing, and overseeing can vary based on individual project scenarios. However, for enhanced commissioning, the entity selected as the lead CxA must complete the following tasks at a minimum:
Fundamental commissioning tasks to be performed by lead CxA:
• Review owner’s project requirements and basis of design during the early design phase.
• Confirm incorporation of Cx requirements into construction documents.
• Develop or approve construction checklists.
• Develop or approve system test procedures.
• Witness at least a portion of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and (if applicable) renewable system functional testing that verifies installation and performance of commissioned systems. Refer to ASHRAE Guideline 0 for additional guidance.
• Review an issues log throughout the Cx process. If the CxA does not directly update the log, the CxA must approve all updates to the log.
• Report findings directly to the owner throughout the process.
• Develop or approve the summary commissioning report.
Enhanced Commissioning Tasks to be performed by lead CxA:
• Conduct commissioning design review prior to mid-construction documents.
• Review contractor submittals applicable to systems being commissioned.
• Develop or approve systems manual updates and delivery.
• Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness.
• Review building operation within 10 months after substantial completion.
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LEEDuser tip sheets, written by our team of LEED experts, fill gaps in knowledge we’ve observed between the LEED Reference Guide, LEED Online, and LEED Interpretations. We update them regularly so that our members get the most relevant guidance for current issues on their projects.
( does not provide premium access to LEEDuser)
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
The following commissioning process activities must be completed by the project team:
- Designate an individual as the commissioning authority (CxA) to lead, review and oversee the completion of the commissioning process activities.
- The CxA must have documented commissioning authority experience in at least 2 building projects.
- The individual serving as the CxA must be independent of the project’s design and construction management, though the CxA may be an employee of any firms providing those services. The CxA may be a qualified employee or consultant of the owner.
- The CxA must report results, findings and recommendations directly to the owner.
- For projects smaller than 50,000 gross square feet (4,500 gross square meters), the CxA may be a qualified person on the design or construction teams who has the required experience.
- The owner must document the owner’s project requirements. The design team must develop the basis of design. The CxA must review these documents for clarity and completeness. The owner and design team must be responsible for updates to their respective documents.
- Develop and incorporate commissioning requirements into the construction documents.
- Develop and implement a commissioning plan.
- Verify the installation and performance of the systems to be commissioned.
- Complete a summary commissioning report.
Commissioned Systems
Commissioning process activities must be completed for the following energy-related systems, at a minimum (if they are installed as part of the core and shell project):- Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems (mechanical and passive) and associated controls.
- Lighting and daylighting controls.
- Domestic hot water systems.
- Renewable energy systems (e.g. wind, solar).
