Hot reaction...

Kath: I have been on many projects where the Commissioning Agent is also the energy modeler, as you describe. I have never seen this raised as an issue by the reviewers.

I agree with Chris. It's not perceived as a conflict by reviewers and it's been done a bunch of times on our projects. And I would agree that it still preserves the integrity of an independent Cx authority.

Ditto. The energy modeler serves as a support function to the design team. At the end of the day it is the designer that has final say on the contruction and systems that are applied to the project. I see no conflict with the CxA. The CxA can have an impact on efficiency but that is primarily through the review and verification of system functionality (more of an operational issue). The only areas of overlap between the energy modeler's recommendations and the CxA activities would be the confirmation of dynamic energy savings strategies (demand controlled ventilation, occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting controls, etc) that may have been "suggested" by the modeler. Even in that case, the designer is the proffesional that determines if the system is included and how it should operate.