Cost Effective Commissioning of Existing and Low Energy Buildings

Overview

Commissioning methods and tools are required to ensure that advanced components and systems reach their technical potential and operate energy-efficiently. Likewise, commissioning methods and tools should strive to improve the energy efficiency of conventional and advanced existing buildings beyond just the design intent. The goal of the project is to enable the effective commissioning of existing and future buildings in order to improve their operating performance. The aim is to advance the state-of-the-art of building commissioning by:

Extending previously developed methods and tools to address advanced systems and low energy buildings, utilizing design data and the buildings' own systems in commissioning;Automating the commissioning process to the extent practicable;Developing methodologies and tools to improve operation of buildings in use, including identifying the best energy saving opportunities in HVAC system renovations and open reporting methods for the energy performance of buildings in support of the "EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive";Quantifying and improving the costs and benefits of commissioning, including the persistence of benefits and the role of automated tools in improving persistence and reducing costs without sacrificing other important commissioning considerations.

The project has been carried out by means of the following three research areas:

• Initial Commissioning of Advanced and Low Energy Buildings
• Commissioning and Optimization of Existing Buildings
• Commissioning Cost-Benefit and Persistence