Below the term "Systems performance testing," insert the text "Tenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space."
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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 firm 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 (4,600 gross square meters), the CxA may be a qualified person on the design or construction team 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:- 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., photovoltaic, wind, solar).
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
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Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
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See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
1/8/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second bulleted item, insert "or 5.6" after "5.5" so the text becomes "...(Sections 5.5 or 5.6, 6.5, 7.5 and 9.5)..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
4/14/2010 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
In the first line of the second bulleted item, insert "or 5.6" after "5.5" so the text becomes "...(Sections 5.5 or 5.6, 6.5, 7.5 and 9.5)..."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/10/2009
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
We are requesting a CIR for a commercial tenant build out in an existing space. The owner decided to go forward with LEED certification after original design drawings were in place. An independent Cx Authority was brought on board after construction documents were issued but before construction commenced, and was in contact with all necessary trades. A commissioning plan was generated prior to commissioning activities. The CxA worked with the project team throughout the construction process and generated a full Cx report. This project utilized existing mechanical equipment which serves the existing spaces. All information regarding this is outlined in the BOD. The Commissioning Agent reviewed all documents and incorporated these guidelines in their plan and final report. The built systems have had a thorough and unbiased review not just of how they were built, but of how they were designed. All prerequisite requirements have been met with the exception of the specifications being included in the original contract documents. All trades cooperated and worked with the Cx. Keeping with the intent of this prerequisite, all systems were adequately commissioned. The CxA has verified that the project\'s energy-related systems are installed, calibrated, and perform as intended, and has verified that all of the required systems are calibrated correctly and satisfy the owner\'s project requirements (OPR) and BOD.
Ruling:
The project team is requesting that the project meets the requirements for Fundamental Commissioning despite the exclusion of commission specifications being included in the original contract documents. For alternate compliance, documentation should be provided showing that the commissioning specifications were later issued and that they will be enforced by the owner and accepted by the contractor as part of the scope of work than the request is approved. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
9/18/2007
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
This Seattle, Washington project is a residential, fast-track high-rise and is currently in the early stages of construction. While the project team recognizes that the decision to pursue LEED Certification would have been more appropriately made at the commencement of design, the team is proud of the many green features of the project and has chosen to seek LEED Certification at this time. Because the fundamental building systems commissioning process will begin after construction has started, the project team is suggesting the following alternate compliance path for the prerequisite. The team asks the USGBC to review the commissioning strategy outlined below and to advise on whether this approach fully meets the requirements of EA Prerequisite 1: 1. Designate an individual as the CxA: The Owner has designated an employee of the HVAC, design-build sub-contractor as the CxA. The selected individual for this role has not been involved with the design or construction of the project. He has served as the commissioning agent for several projects of similar scope and technical complexity and is a certified Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) Supervisor. 2. CxA shall review Owner\'s Project Requirements and Basis of Design: The Design Team and Owner will prepare the Owner\'s Project Requirements to include Owner and User Requirements, Environmental and Sustainability Goals, Energy Efficiency Goals, Indoor Environmental Quality Requirements, Equipment and System Expectations, and Building Occupant and O & M Personnel Requirements. The Design Team will prepare a Basis of Design narrative which explains the design of the HVAC&R systems, the project lighting, the domestic hot water system, associated controls, and any additional systems requiring commissioning. The CxA will review and comment on these documents and the documents will be updated by the owner and design team respectively. 3. Develop and incorporate commissioning requirements into the construction documents: The construction drawings and specifications include the commissioning requirements of the Seattle Energy Code: a Commissioning Plan, Systems Testing and Balancing, Equipment Functional Performance Testing, Controls Functional Performance Testing, a Preliminary Commissioning Report, Post Construction Documentation, and a Final Commissioning Report. The CxA will review the commissioning requirements outlined in the construction documents and if he finds that enhancements or additions are required, these changes will be issued as supplemental instructions to the construction team and will become part of the construction documents. 4. Develop and implement commissioning plan: The CxA will review the commissioning plan outlined in the construction documents and will use this as the basis for his project commissioning plan which will include the Commissioning Program Overview, the Commissioning Team, and the Description of the Commissioning Process Activities. 5. Verify installation and performance of systems to be commissioned and complete a commissioning report: Because the systems have not been installed, the CxA will follow the credit requirements outlined in the LEED-NC v2.2 reference guide for these two steps in the commissioning process.
Ruling:
The inquiry is asking if a project that is under a "fast track" schedule and is in the early stages of construction can still comply with the requirements for fundamental commissioning. The inquiry states that since the project is already under construction a modified plan will be implemented. 1. Yes, the individual described in the above inquiry is acceptable to meet the requirement of the prerequisite, as noted in the prerequisite language and in the document posted on the USGBC website, entitled "Who Can Be the Commissioning Authority" (https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=1262). 2. The inquiry indicates that, although the OPR and BOD documentation have not been developed, the design team and owner will prepare these documents for review and comment by the CxA as required. The CxA will review these documents and will issue recommendations for enhancements and/or modifications to the design. If these design modifications are accepted by the owner, the design team will issue supplemental instruction to the project team that will become a part of the construction documents. Although the preparation and review of the OPR and BOD documents is intended to be handled during the design phase when modifications to the design can reasonably be made, the project team has outlined a plan, to incorporate any approved system modifications and/or enhancements into the project as changes to the construction process, that appears to meet the intent of the prerequisite. 3. The inquiry indicates that the basic fundamental commissioning tasks were incorporated into the construction documents prior to construction. The CxA will review these tasks and will provide the design team with any modifications required to comply with this prerequisite. Provided the team can substantiate that the appropriate tasks were included in the amended construction documents, and that the noted tasks were carried out, it appears that this portion of the prerequisite\'s intent will be satisfied. 4. The inquiry indicates that a commissioning plan was incorporated into the construction documents prior to construction. The CxA will review the plan and will provide any modifications required to comply with this prerequisite. Provided the team can substantiate that the commissioning plan includes all of the required prerequisite task elements, this portion of the prerequisite\'s intent and requirements will be satisfied 5. The inquiry indicates that the installation and performance of the installed systems to be commissioned will be verified by the CxA. The inquiry also states that the required commissioning report will be completed. The overall plan, as indicated in the above inquiry, appears to meet the intent and requirements of the prerequisite. As prerequisites cannot be awarded in the CIR process, the project team will need to provide appropriate documentation in the project\'s submittal package to confirm that the stated tasks and elements have been successfully incorporated and implemented. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
4/23/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
In this CIR, we are asking for a clarification on whether this firm meets the experience requirements for it to provide CxA services on the project described below for its compliance with the LEED prerequisite, which requires that the CxA shall have commissioning authority experience on at least two building projects. The project to be commissioned is a proposed 3,000 Sf (+-) Bath House facility at a Town owner Pool/Park complex in New York. The Bath House building has no HVAC system, except for an exhaust fan system. Its construction will require the demolition of an existing building. Our firm has 49 years of design, construction and startup phase experience on numerous projects having similar or larger managerial and technical complexities required for the Bath House. Our firm has provided construction management (CM) services for various NY State, County and municipal projects in New York. Those services include design review and oversight, LEED review and oversight, constructability reviews and value engineering reviews, prepare and review cost estimates, assuring contractor complies with design intent and construction contract documents, work progress inspection and monitoring, quality assurance and start-up system testing, commissioning and commissioning oversight, post construction monitoring, construction trades employers, etc. Our recent experience includes such services for Suffolk County, New York\'s proposed LEED certified, $15 million, 36,000 SF Police Precinct building; the $35 million, 72,000 SF Trump On The Ocean Catering Facility, at Jones Beach, NY (also pursuing LEED certification); the Town of Hempstead, $5 million Hewlett Point Park Pool Complex; the $35 million, 200,000 SF renovation and addition of the Riverhead, NY Supreme Court building; the $55 million, 260,000 SF DASNY Health Technology Center, in Brentwood, NY; the $25 million, 150,000 SF Skilled Nursing Home Facility, in Yaphank, NY, and the new $140 million Correctional Facility in Yaphank, NY, among others. Our firm also provides engineering and architectural design services. Design services include site, building, energy, HVAC and controls systems, etc. Our staff includes professional Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Structural Engineers, Registered Architects and LEED Accredited Professionals. Our personnel have extensive experience in energy systems design, installation, performance and operation. We also perform on-site, hands on inspections of the energy systems including start-up, testing balancing, troubleshooting, operation, and maintenance procedures. In this specific case, our firm is not involved in the design or construction management phases of this LEED registered project. As the CxA, our firm will review and verify design and monitor construction and will perform the requirements of the Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy Systems.
Ruling:
Assuming your firm provided commissioning services on at least 2 of the projects listed, you qualify to serve as the CxA for the bath house project. Your description indicates that you are not part of the design or construction team, and you list multiple relevant projects, thus the eligibility requirements are satisfied. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
1/23/2009
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Our client is a non-profit trade association which has leased space in a commercial office building in Washington, DC for 35 years. As part of an additional 10-year lease renewal and expansion, their interior space has been undergoing renovation. Upgrades to 124,000 of the 141, 000 square feet that the tenant occupies were completed in 2006 using a green approach. 10,000 square feet is currently being constructed, and 7,000 square feet is currently in design. The tenant occupies approximately 55% of the building in which they are located. Since the renovation began, the association has come to recognize LEED as an important performance benchmark of green building quality. The association is pursuing certification for its space in order to demonstrate the value of LEED CI certification to its employees and to educate its approximately 8000 corporate member organizations nationwide about LEED. The association\'s hope is to certify all 141,000 square feet of the space that they occupy. The association could limit the LEED CI site boundary to the 10,000 square feet that is currently under construction and the 7,000 square feet in which construction has not yet begun, and meet all LEED CI prerequisites and sufficient credit points to certify that portion of their space at a Silver or Gold level. They are interested, however, to undergo the additional effort and expense associated with including the 124,000 square feet of space that was renovated in earlier phase of renovation. We have confirmed that sufficient credit points could be documented for the whole space to be eligible for certification, however, the issue of how the EAp1 Fundamental Building Systems Commissioning prerequisite would need to be addressed. Alternatively we considered working with the association to pursue LEED OM for their entire space, however, LEED OM presents its own set of challenging issues given its current whole building approach and the fact that the association does not have direct control over the base building components or the activities of other building tenants. In order to include the previous phase of interior renovation in the LEED CI site boundary, we propose adapting LEED OM EAc1 requirements for commissioning the energy related systems in the tenant\'s scope whereby we would: 1. Develop a retro-commissioning, recommissioning or ongoing commissioning plan for the tenant\'s scope energy related systems, including the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems and associated controls, lighting controls, including daylighting, domestic hot water systems, and renewable energy systems. 2. Conduct the investigation and analysis phase. Document the breakdown of energy use in the tenant space. 3. List the operating problems that affect occupants\' comfort and energy use, and develop potential operational changes that will solve them. 4. List the identified capital improvements that will provide cost-effective energy savings and document the cost-benefit analysis associated with each. Please let us know if this would be an acceptable alternate approach to meeting the LEED CI EAp1 Fundamental Commissioning prerequisite for the phases of the renovation already completed. The current and future phases of the project would follow the standard LEED CI EAp1 requirements.
Ruling:
The applicant is requesting approval for commissioning of spaces that have both begun construction and have completed the construction phase. Commissioning for portions of the building that have begun construction (i.e., 10,000 square feet) are eligible to achieve certification for EAp1 per a LEED-NC v2.2 CIR dated 9/18/2007 and a LEED-NC v2.1 CIR dated 2/5/2004. Projects that have already been completed, however, are ineligible to achieve LEED certification because the fundamental commissioning requirements in EAp1 were not addressed during the project design or construction phase. For portions of the building that have not been installed, the project team should develop Owners Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BOD) documents as outlined in the LEED-CI v2.0 Reference Guide. Refer the CIR dated 9/18/2007 for additional information. All of the additional commissioning requirements outlined in the LEED-CI v2.0 Reference Guide must be satisfied. For portions of the building for which construction has been partially completed, the CxA must review not only the construction/installation of the commissioned systems but also whether the systems satisfy the design intent. Refer to the CIR dated 2/5/2004 for additional information regarding commissioning of partially installed systems and commissioning requirements. While the project team should be commended for the sustainable design practices implemented for portions of the building that have completed construction, these spaces are not eligible to achieve certification for LEED-CI. As identified in the request above, the project team should consider certifying completed portions of the building using LEED-EB. The owner may be able to convince the building association and/or other tenants to consider certifying the entire building using LEED-EB. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
2/9/2009
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The purpose of this credit interpretation request is to confirm that the qualifications of the person the Owner has selected to complete Fundamental Commissioning for the project are acceptable. The project is a 150,000 SF speculative office building, with the Owner serving as the General Contractor for construction.. The project will complete the Fundamental Commissioning requirements (EAp1) but will not pursue Enhanced Commissioning (EA 3). The Owner has selected an individual employed by an independent company (not employed by the Owner/ General Contractor\'s firm) to perform commissioning for the building. The requirements specified in EA p1 for the commissioning agent state that "the CxA shall have documented commissioning authority experience in at least two projects". The selected commissioning agent has not commissioned a LEED project before but has served on numerous existing building projects overseeing the replacement of major system. He has also worked with at least two new building projects, where he was responsible for oversight during the installations of building systems. His responsibilities included: - review of plans before initial construction - meetings with sub-contractors to clarify requirements - attending relevant construction meetings - site visits for start-up of all major mechanical components - reviewing initial start-ups and making recommendations to ensure systems were working as specified - reviewing final test results and reports and making recommendations to avoid foreseeable problems suggested by the reports - coordinating with contractors and building engineers to make all warranty and non-warrantee repairs. Documentation prepared for these projects is comprised of a report outlining: - design phase drawing comments for major building systems - results of site visits to confirm that suggested changes were included in construction to witness system start-ups - a chronicle of post-construction follow-up which included witnessing of building system training for building staff. Please confirm that this individual\'s project experience is sufficient to meet the requirements for him to serve as the commissioning agent for EAp1.
Ruling:
The applicant is requesting confirmation that the selected commissioning authority (CxA) satisfies the commissioning qualifications outlined in the LEED-CS v2.0 Reference Guide. The CIR states that the selected commissioning agent is independent of the project\'s design and construction management teams and has documented CxA experience on several projects. The selected CxA is not required to have commissioning experience specifically related to LEED projects and, therefore, appears to meet the qualifications outlined in the reference guide. However, sufficient documentation must demonstrate commissioning of the two non-LEED projects through issues, logs and/or Cx checklists for all energy systems. Please note that the favorable ruling of this CIR does not guarantee credit acceptance during a review. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
6/27/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
This CIR is seeking clarification on the scope of Systems Performance Testing required for Commissioning. The project is a 300,000 square foot residential building located in New York City. As part of commissioning, the project intends to commission the HVAC and refrigeration systems, lighting and daylighting controls and domestic hot water systems as per the credit requirements of EA prerequisite 1 and EA credit 3. All major equipment in the building will be commissioned such as boilers, hot water pumps, roof top units (DX), supply and exhaust fans. However, for cooling, the residences use Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTAC). The Project is seeking guidance on the representative sampling of PTAC for the systems performance testing. The project is intending to test 10% (industry standard) of the PTACs in the building for each size (7500 Btu, 9000 Btu, 12000 Btu etc.) subject to a minimum count of 10. For example, if there are 27 units of Type A, and 120 units of Type B and 400 units of Type C, the functional testing will be done for: 10 qty - Type A 12 qty - Type B 40 qty - Type C If failures are found in a group, in addition to the faulty units, an additional sample is tested. Is this approach of a 1 in 10 representative sampling acceptable to USGBC?
Ruling:
Yes, in this specific case, 10% of PTAC systems subject to a minimum count of 10 are acceptable representative sampling for the systems performance testing. However, in a large multi-family residential project, the operation of a PTAC system may be influenced by the location/orientation of the residential unit. Since, it is being proposed that only representative samples would be tested, therefore, the project team should be careful in the selection of the representative samples and provide sufficient documentation when submitting for LEED review.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
5/9/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Can an individual who has not been a CxA in the past, but has extensive experience with all aspects of the commissioning process, serve as the CxA for a LEED project?
Ruling:
To meet the requirements of EAp1, the individual serving as the CxA must have commissioning experience at a similar managerial level on a minimum of two projects of comparable complexity. While this experience is typically confirmed based on previous experience as the CxA, it can be achieved based on similar experience. Applicable internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2016
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
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?
Ruling:
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.
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
9/18/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
We are a project that is moving into an existing building, which has previously been fully fitted out set as a set of offices. The building has an existing central core with toilets and kitchen spaces that are maintained by the landlord. We are leasing a set of offices on the third floor and are undertaking a renovation of this space in order to suit our requirements. The building is naturally ventilated and there is an existing hard ceiling in place complete with light fittings and fire systems which we intend on retaining as per the existing layouts. We are installing no domestic hot water systems as part of our works or renewable energy systems. In fact we are not planning on installing or making any changes to any MEP system, with the exception of some changes to data cabling. As such we are undertaking no works in the scope of our project that require commissioning as defined by EA prerequisite 1 - Fundamental Commissioning. We would therefore like confirmation that because we are not undertaking any works that are requiring commissioning in the scope of our project that we still meet this prerequisite. We could make changes to the lighting system in the space to enable us to undertake works that require commissioning thereby enabling us to meet the prerequisite. However this would require us to remove and throw away perfectly good existing light fittings and we do not believe that this is a sustainable solution, particularly when it would only be done to meet this prerequisite.
Ruling:
The applicant is requesting that the fundamental commissioning requirements be waived for projects which do not wish to modify any of the existing systems for which commissioning is required. This approach is not acceptable. The intent of the prerequisite is to verify that the project\'s energy-related systems are installed, calibrated, and perform as intended. At a minimum, a Commissioning Authority should verify that all of the required systems are calibrated correctly and satisfy the owner\'s project requirements (OPR). Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
2/9/2009
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
The purpose of this CIR is to request an alternate compliance path for fundamental systems commissioning for the major renovation of a 10,000 sq. ft., Texas office building which is nearing the end of construction (the tenants have moved in on a temporary occupancy certificate). It has been the intent of the project team from design onset to submit the project for LEED Certification. Accordingly, substantial efforts and monies have been committed to strengthening the building envelope (from an EA standpoint), to replacing the HVAC systems with high-efficiency equipment, to installing measurement and verification equipment and for several other sustainable measures outside of the EA category. Unfortunately, due to the inexperience of some of the team members and a fast-track construction schedule, the commissioning process did not occur through the design and early construction as outlined in the reference guide. The team asks the USGBC to review the alternate commissioning strategy outlined below and to advise on whether this approach fully meets the requirements of EA Prerequisite 1: 1. Designate an individual as the CxA: The Owner has designated an employee of the MEP design firm as the CxA. The selected individual for this role is part of a specialized commissioning group within the firm and has not been involved with the design or construction of the project. He has served as the commissioning agent for several projects of similar scope and technical complexity. 2. CxA shall review Owner\'s Project Requirements and Basis of Design: The Design Team and Owner will prepare the Owner\'s Project Requirements to include Owner and User Requirements, Environmental and Sustainability Goals, Energy Efficiency Goals, Indoor Environmental Quality Requirements, Equipment and System Expectations, and Building Occupant and O & M Personnel Requirements. The Design Team will prepare a Basis of Design narrative which explains the design of the HVAC&R systems, the project lighting, the domestic hot water system, associated controls, and any additional systems requiring commissioning. The CxA will review and comment on these documents and the documents will be updated by the owner and design team respectively. 3. Develop and Incorporate commissioning requirements into the construction documents: The CxA will develop commissioning specifications which will be incorporated into the construction documents via supplemental instructions to the construction team and will become part of the construction documents. 4. Develop and Implement commissioning plan: The CxA will develop the commissioning plan which will include the Commissioning Program Overview, the Commissioning Team, and the Description of the Commissioning Process Activities. The commissioning plan will take into account that the equipment has already been installed and started up. 5. Verify Installation and performance of systems to be commissioned and complete a commissioning report: CxA will still follow all credit requirements, including pre-functional and functional testing procedures even though equipment has already been started. Deficiencies will be reported, and contractors will correct any deficiencies found during commissioning activities via supplemental instructions or under warranty. CxA will complete a summary report.
Ruling:
The project team is proposing a commissioning process to meet the requirements of this prerequisite, where the project team engages the commissioning authority in the late stages of construction after tenant occupation. The proposed process is not acceptable. The key steps of the commissioning process do not deliver the intended value if performed outside of the normal design and construction schedule. The USGBC has devised the LEED for Existing Building Operation and Maintenance Rating System for cases such as this and the project team is encouraged to consider that Rating System for this building.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
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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 firm 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 (4,600 gross square meters), the CxA may be a qualified person on the design or construction team 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:- 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., photovoltaic, wind, solar).
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.XX%
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