NIST Technical Note 1725

Annex 47 Report 1:

Commissioning Overview

Chloé Legris

Daniel Choinière 

Natascha Milesi Ferretti

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.1725
NIST Technical Note 1725

Annex 47 Report 1:

Commissioning Overview

Chloé Legris

Daniel Choinière 

Natural Resources Canada

CanmetENERGY

Energy Technology Centre

Natascha Milesi Ferretti

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Engineering Laboratory

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.1725

November 2010

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Rebecca Blank, Acting Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Patrick D. Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director 
Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this

document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately.

Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the

National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the

entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology Technical Note 1725

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Tech. Note 1725, 37 pages (November 2010) 

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.1725

CODEN: NTNOEF
Page 4 of 38 October 21, 2010

CITATION

Legris, C. et al. “Annex 47 Report 1: Commissioning Overview”, National Institute of 

Standards and Technology, Technical Note 1725. November 2010.

This publication was simultaneously published by Natural Resources Canada as Legris, C. et al. 

“Annex 47 Report 1: Commissioning Overview”, a Report of Cost-Effective Commissioning of 

Existing and Low Energy Buildings. November 2010.

Copies of this report may be obtained from the Annex 47 web site at: http://www.ieaannex47.org , the NIST website at: http://www.nist.gov, or from the IEA/ECBCS Bookshop at: 

www.ecbcs.org.
Page 5 of 38 October 21, 2010

Preface

International Energy Agency

The International Energy Agency (IEA) was established in 1974 within the framework of the 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to implement an 

international energy programme. A basic aim of the IEA is to foster co-operation among the 

twenty-eight IEA participating countries and to increase energy security through energy 

conservation, development of alternative energy sources and energy research, development and 

demonstration (RD&D).

Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems

The IEA co-ordinates research and development in a number of areas related to energy. The 

mission of one of those areas, the ECBCS - Energy Conservation for Building and Community 

Systems Programme, is to develop and facilitate the integration of technologies and processes for 

energy efficiency and conservation into healthy, low emission, and sustainable buildings and 

communities, through innovation and research.

The research and development strategies of the ECBCS Programme are derived from research 

drivers, national programmes within IEA countries, and the IEA Future Building Forum Think 

Tank Workshop, held in March 2007. The R&D strategies represent a collective input of the 

Executive Committee members to exploit technological opportunities to save energy in the 

buildings sector, and to remove technical obstacles to market penetration of new energy 

conservation technologies. The R&D strategies apply to residential, commercial, office buildings 

and community systems, and will impact the building industry in three focus areas of R&D 

activities: 

• Dissemination 

• Decision-making

• Building products and systems

The Executive Committee

Overall control of the program is maintained by an Executive Committee, which not only 

monitors existing projects but also identifies new areas where collaborative effort may be 
Page 6 of 38 October 21, 2010

beneficial. To date the following projects have been initiated by the executive committee on 

Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (completed projects are identified by 

(*)):

Annex 1: Load Energy Determination of Buildings (*)

Annex 2: Ekistics and Advanced Community Energy Systems (*)

Annex 3: Energy Conservation in Residential Buildings (*)

Annex 4: Glasgow Commercial Building Monitoring (*)

Annex 5: Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre 

Annex 6: Energy Systems and Design of Communities (*)

Annex 7: Local Government Energy Planning (*)

Annex 8: Inhabitants Behaviour with Regard to Ventilation (*)

Annex 9: Minimum Ventilation Rates (*)

Annex 10: Building HVAC System Simulation (*)

Annex 11: Energy Auditing (*)

Annex 12: Windows and Fenestration (*)

Annex 13: Energy Management in Hospitals (*)

Annex 14: Condensation and Energy (*)

Annex 15: Energy Efficiency in Schools (*)

Annex 16: BEMS 1- User Interfaces and System Integration (*)

Annex 17: BEMS 2- Evaluation and Emulation Techniques (*)

Annex 18: Demand Controlled Ventilation Systems (*)

Annex 19: Low Slope Roof Systems (*)

Annex 20: Air Flow Patterns within Buildings (*)

Annex 21: Thermal Modelling (*)

Annex 22: Energy Efficient Communities (*)

Annex 23: Multi Zone Air Flow Modelling (COMIS) (*)

Annex 24: Heat, Air and Moisture Transfer in Envelopes (*)

Annex 25: Real time HVAC Simulation (*)

Annex 26: Energy Efficient Ventilation of Large Enclosures (*)

Annex 27: Evaluation and Demonstration of Domestic Ventilation Systems (*)
Page 7 of 38 October 21, 2010

Annex 28: Low Energy Cooling Systems (*)

Annex 29: Daylight in Buildings (*)

Annex 30: Bringing Simulation to Application (*)

Annex 31: Energy-Related Environmental Impact of Buildings (*)

Annex 32: Integral Building Envelope Performance Assessment (*)

Annex 33: Advanced Local Energy Planning (*)

Annex 34: Computer-Aided Evaluation of HVAC System Performance (*)

Annex 35: Design of Energy Efficient Hybrid Ventilation (HYBVENT) (*)

Annex 36: Retrofitting of Educational Buildings (*)

Annex 37: Low Exergy Systems for Heating and Cooling of Buildings (LowEx) (*)

Annex 38: Solar Sustainable Housing (*)

Annex 39: High Performance Insulation Systems (*)

Annex 40: Building Commissioning to Improve Energy Performance (*)

Annex 41: Whole Building Heat, Air and Moisture Response (MOIST-ENG) (*)

Annex 42: The Simulation of Building-Integrated Fuel Cell and Other Cogeneration Systems 

(FC+COGEN-SIM) (*)

Annex 43: Testing and Validation of Building Energy Simulation Tools (*)

Annex 44: Integrating Environmentally Responsive Elements in Buildings

Annex 45: Energy Efficient Electric Lighting for Buildings (*)

Annex 46: Holistic Assessment Tool-kit on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures for 

Government Buildings (EnERGo)

Annex 47: Cost-Effective Commissioning for Existing and Low Energy Buildings

Annex 48: Heat Pumping and Reversible Air Conditioning

Annex 49: Low Exergy Systems for High Performance Buildings and Communities

Annex 50: Prefabricated Systems for Low Energy Renovation of Residential Buildings

Annex 51: Energy Efficient Communities

Annex 52: Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings

Annex 53: Total Energy Use in Buildings: Analysis & Evaluation Methods

Annex 54: Analysis of Micro-Generation & Related Energy Technologies in Buildings
Page 8 of 38 October 21, 2010

Annex 55: Reliability of Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting - Probability Assessment of 

Performance & Cost (RAP-RETRO)

Annex 56: Energy and Greenhouse Gas Optimised Building Renovation

Working Group - Energy Efficiency in Educational Buildings (*)

Working Group - Indicators of Energy Efficiency in Cold Climate Buildings (*)

Working Group - Annex 36 Extension: The Energy Concept Adviser (*)

Working Group - Energy Efficient Communities

(*) – Completed

Annex 47

The objectives of Annex 47 were to enable the effective commissioning of existing and future 

buildings in order to improve their operating performance. The main objective of this Annex was 

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 

 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

To accomplish these objectives Annex 47 has conducted research and development in the 

framework of the following three Subtasks:

• Subtask A: Initial Commissioning of Advanced and Low Energy Building Systems 

This Subtask addressed what can be done for (the design of) future buildings to enable costeffective commissioning. The focus was set on the concept, design, construction, acceptance, and 

early operation phase of buildings. 

• Subtask B: Commissioning and Optimization of Existing Buildings
Page 9 of 38 October 21, 2010

This Subtask addressed needs for existing buildings and systems to conduct cost-effective 

commissioning. The focus here was set on existing buildings where the conditions for 

commissioning need to be afforded without documentation and limited means for integrated 

commissioning.

• Subtask C: Commissioning Cost-Benefits and Persistence 

This Subtask addressed how the cost-benefit situation can be represented. Key answers were 

provided by developing international consensus methods for evaluating commissioning costbenefit and persistence. The methods were implemented in a cost-benefit and persistence 

database using field data.

Annex 47 was an international joint effort conducted by 50 organizations in 11 countries:

Belgium • KaHo St-Lieven, 

• Ghent University, 

• PHP Passive house platform, 

• Université de Liège, 

• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Canada • Natural Resources Canada (CETC-Varennes), 

• Public Works and Governmental Services Canada, 

• Palais de Congres de Montreal, 

• Hydro Quebec, 

Czech Republic • Czech Technical University

Finland • VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 

• Helsinki University of Technology

Germany • Ebert-Baumann Engineers, 

• Institute of Building Services and Energy Design, 

• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

Hong Kong/China • Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hungary • University of Pécs

Japan • Kyoto University, 

• Kyushu University, 

• Chubu University, 

• Okayama University of Science, 

• NTT Facilities, 

• Osaka Gas Co., 

• Kansai Electric Power Co., 

• Kyushu Electric Power Co., 

• SANKO Air Conditioning Co, 

• Daikin Air-conditioning and Environmental Lab, 

• Tokyo Electric Power Co, 

• Tokyo Gas Co., 

• Takenaka Corp, 

• Chubu Electric Power Co., 

• Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., 

• Tonets Corp, 

• Nikken Sekkei Ltd, 

• Hitachi Plant Technologies, 

• Mori Building Co., 

• Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. 

• Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation

Netherlands • TNO Environment and Geosciences, 

• University of Delft 

Norway • Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 

• SINTEF
Page 10 of 38 October 21, 2010

USA • National Institute of Standards and Technology, 

• Texas A&M University, 

• Portland Energy Conservation Inc., 

• Carnegie Mellon University, 

• Johnson Controls, 

• Siemens, 

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Page 11 of 38 October 21, 2010

FOREWORD

This report summarizes part of the work of IEA-ECBCS Annex 47 Cost-Effective 

Commissioning of Existing and Low Energy Buildings. It is based on the research findings 

from the participating countries. The publication is an official Annex report.

Report 1, ‘Commissioning Overview’ can be considered as an introduction to the commissioning 

process. 

Report 2, ‘Commissioning Tools for Existing and Low Energy Buildings’ provides general 

information on the use of tools to enhance the commissioning of low energy and existing 

buildings, summarizes the specifications for tools developed in the Annex and presents building 

case studies. 

Report 3, ‘Commissioning Cost Benefit and Persistence’ presents a collection of data that would 

be of use in promoting commissioning of new and existing buildings and defines methods for 

determining costs, benefits, and persistence of commissioning, The report also highlights 

national differences in the definition of commissioning.

Report 4, Flowcharts and Data Models for Initial Commissioning of Advanced and Low Energy 

Building Systems’ provides a state of the art description of the use of flow charts and data 

models in the practice and research of initial commissioning of advanced and low energy 

building systems.

In many countries, commissioning is still an emerging activity and in all countries, advances are 

needed for greater formalization and standardization. We hope that this report will be useful to 

promote best practices, to advance its development and to serve as the basis of further research in 

this growing field.

Natascha Milesi Ferretti and Daniel Choinière

Annex 47 Co-Operating Agents 
Page 12 of 38 October 21, 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The material presented in this publication has been collected and developed within an Annex of 

the IEA Implementing Agreement Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community systems, 

Annex 47, “Cost-Effective Commissioning of Existing and Low Energy Buildings”.

This report, together with the three companions Annex reports are the result of an international 

joint effort conducted in 10 countries. All those who have contributed to the project are 

gratefully acknowledged.

On behalf of all participants, the members of the Executive Committee of IEA Energy 

Conservation in Building and Community Systems Implementing Agreement as well as the 

funding bodies are also gratefully acknowledged.

A list of participating countries, institutes, and people as well as funding organizations can be 

found at the end of this report.
Page 13 of 38 October 21, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENT

1 BACKGROUND OF SUSTAINABLE MAINTENANCE, CONTINUOUS BUILDING 

OPTIMIZATION OR COMMISSIONING............................................................................................................14

2 WHAT IS COMMISSIONING.......................................................................................................................16

3 THE PROCESS OF COMMISSIONING......................................................................................................21

4 COSTS OF COMMISSIONING, RECOMMISSIONING AND ONGOING COMMISSONING...........22

5 RISKS FOR NOT IMPLEMENTING A COMMISSIONING PROCESS.................................................25

6 INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................................26

6.1 THE STATE OF BUILDING SYSTEMS COMMISSIONING................................................................................26

6.2 SYNTHESIZED OVERVIEW ..........................................................................................................................34

7 REFERENCE AND COMMISSIONING GUIDES......................................................................................36

8 ANNEX 47 PARTICIPANTS..........................................................................................................................37
Page 14 of 38 October 21, 2010

1 Background of Sustainable Maintenance, Continuous Building 

Optimization or Commissioning

Approximately one-third of the global energy use is attributed to buildings and, despite 

improvements in the thermal performance of buildings, is inefficiently used (IEA 2008). This 

information, coupled with an increased understanding of the environmental impact of the 

building sector and concerns for energy availability, is highlighting the important role of energy 

efficient technologies and effective delivery processes. 

Most IEA countries have their own established procedures for building design, construction and 

operations, however, current approaches are frequently inadequate for ensuring that buildings 

perform as intended. A major factor is that the buildings industry is strongly driven by first cost; 

therefore, investment decisions, when made without considering payback over the building 

lifecycle, present a barrier to improving the building stock and environmental stewardship. 

Furthermore, the complex and often opaque definitions of roles and responsibilities for members 

of the building industry lead to inefficiencies and information gaps in the lifecycle, even for 

conventional building systems. As non-conventional systems are introduced, a lack of 

familiarity by the designers, installers, or end-users can lead to the misapplication of 

technologies and result in poor performance. This risk increases the need for independent 

quality assurance. 

When a building is commissioned it goes through a systematic, quality assurance process. This 

process, which spans the design, construction, and operation of the building and its systems, is a

valuable mechanism for quality building delivery. The process is aligned with industry bestpractices, and involves commissioning agents, building owners, architects, engineers, and 

building operators, among others. It includes activities such as developing documents such as 

the Owners Project Requirements, planning for and carrying out verification checklists, 

functional tests, developing a complete Systems Manual, and training requirements, and 

performing seasonal/deferred testing. Commissioning ensures that the building meets the 

owner’s needs and operates efficiently, and lays the groundwork for training the operations and 

maintenance staff to maintain systems over the life of the building. The overarching benefits 

include reduced lifecycle costs, improved occupant comfort and productivity, and cost-effective 

maintenance.

The goal of IEA - ECBCS Annex 47 was to enable the cost-effective commissioning of existing 

and future buildings in order to improve their operating performance. The commissioning 

techniques developed through this Annex are intended to help transition the industry from the 

intuitive approach that is currently employed in the operation of buildings to more systematic 

operation that focuses on achieving significant energy savings. The Annex also serves as a 

means to exchange information on commissioning practices in different countries and 

disseminate relevant information to national practitioners.

Key outputs of IEA - ECBCS Annex 47 include:

 Methods and tools for commissioning advanced systems and low energy buildings; 

 Methods and tools for field application; 
Page 15 of 38 October 21, 2010

 Information on the costs and benefits that can be used to promote the wider use of 

commissioning. 
Page 16 of 38 October 21, 2010

2 What is Commissioning

IEA Annex 40 defined Commissioning is a “quality-oriented process for achieving, verifying 

and documenting whether the performance of a building’s systems and assemblies meet defined 

objectives and criteria.” This internationally established definition is quite close to the definition 

used by ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning 

Engineers), that stipulates that Commissioning is “ the process of ensuring that systems are 

designed, installed, functionally tested and capable of being operated and maintained to perform 

in conformity with the design intent.” 

In practice one can differentiate 4 types of commissioning which are describe below and 

represented on the following figure:

o Initial commissioning begins during design and continues through construction and 

occupancy. It helps ensure that the performance of the new building or major retrofit meets 

owner’s expectations. 

o Retrocommissioning is the first time commissioning is implemented in an existing building 

in which a documented commissioning process was not previously implemented.

o Recommissioning is another type of commissioning that occurs when a building that has 

already been commissioned undergoes another commissioning process. Most buildings 

experience degradation in performance that, if left untreated, will reduce occupant 

productivity and energy efficiency, often well before comfort complaints trigger a response. 

It’s implemented after I-Cx or Retro-Cx when the owner hopes to verify, improve and 

document the performance of building systems.

o Lifetime commissioning or ongoing commissioning is a commissioning process conducted 

continually for the purposes of maintaining, improving and optimizing the performance of 

building systems initial or re/retro commissioning.

Production Operations & Maintenance

Pre-Design Design Elaboration Construction Occupancy & Operation

Program Planning Preliminary 

Design

Working 

Design Elaboration Construction Acceptance PostAcceptance

Ordinary 

Operation

Initial Commissioning

Ongoing 

Commissioning

Initial Commissioning

ReCommissioning

Missing Initial Commissioning (or missing documentation on Initial Commissioning)

RetroCommissioning

As shown on the figure above, commissioning ideally starts as soon as a new facility is 

conceptualized, and it continues until the building is occupied. Through this process, 

expectations for the performance of the building systems are established and procedures are put 

in place to determine whether those expectations have been met.
Page 17 of 38 October 21, 2010

Unfortunately, commissioning is too often viewed as a task performed after a building is 

constructed and before it is handed over to the building owner to check operational performance. 

We clearly favoured a broader view that enables gaps bridging between 4 different visions: 

 The expectations of the building owner

The process allows the building owner to clarify its expectations and ensure the designer to 

obtain all owner’s project requirements (OPR), so that owner and designer understand one 

another and are in agreement.

 The project of the designer

The process helps in translating the designer’s project into appropriate specifications which 

can be understood, realized and verified by the contractor.

 The assembled system of the contractor

The process ensures that functional performance testing procedures are applied, which will 

enable the contractor, the building owner and the designer to verify that the system is clearly 

operating as expected.

 The running system of the operator

The process include the production of system manuals which will enable the operator to take 

best profit of the ideas of the designers and of the system realized by the contractor to fulfill 

owner requirements.

The process must be continuously integrated by producing, at regular intervals, a report 

which will enable the operator and the building owner to check that the operation continues 

to fulfill the requirements.

This broad view could appear to many users as a dream which could be realised in a few projects 

but which is too far from their day to day practice to be practicable to their projects. In practice 

one applies often only one part of the full process. Next section will introduce most benefits that 

might help convince that a complete and fully integrated commissioning at the true beginning of 

a project is worthwhile. WHAT BUILDING COMMISSIONING IS NOT

Commissioning is not...:

 an additional phase of a project;

 an isolated testing event; 

 a TAB (testing, adjusting, balancing);

 an equipment start-up

Commissioning will likely involve TAB, equipment 

start-up, and testing of various types, but these are just 

a part of the larger whole of the commissioning 

process as it occurs throughout all phases of a project.
Page 18 of 38 October 21, 2010

Commissioning benefits are far-reaching. Each of the participants in the design and construction 

process will benefit from commissioning, and so will the building’s owner, staff and future 

occupants. Through this process, a necessary improved coordination between design, 

construction and occupancy will occur and permit to reach financial, comfort and performance 

benefits, as described here:

• Reduced life-cycle costs

In the long term, the projected life-cycle costs of buildings and facilities will be reduced 

as a result of the integrated efforts of the designer and the building operators to meet 

commissioning requirements. It will contribute to reduce construction costs while 

ensuring a more efficient use of energy over the years. 

• Cost effective maintenance

Involvement of O&M staff in commissioning, plus the training and documentation 

provided, is the basis for more effective operation, maintenance and management 

throughout the life of the facility. 

• Occupant satisfaction

The primary and immediate beneficiaries of a properly designed, constructed and 

commissioned facility are the occupants. They will enjoy the advantages of living or 

working in an improved indoor environmental quality that’s comfortable and safe and in 

surroundings that meet their everyday needs. Further benefits will accrue to the 

Owner/Investor as a result of having satisfied tenants in a quality building that complies 

with the requirements of the investment plan. Also, when building quality is translated 

into higher productivity and reduced absenteeism of the occupants, the overall savings 

become even more significant. 

• Quality assurance

The Owner/Investor is assured that a quality facility and a "surprise-free" 

product/environment have been provided. There will be fewer system deficiencies at 

building turnover. This will be achieved by ensuring that:

 the Contract Documents include all commissioning specifications,

 the requirements of these specifications will be met

 fully documented tests and inspections will prevent minor errors from developing 

into serious operational flaws.

• System performance verification

Commissioning extends into Operation phase, in order to verify performance under a full 
Page 19 of 38 October 21, 2010

range of operating conditions. This practice aims to provide a "no-surprises" operation 

cycle for both Owners and operation and maintenance (O&M) staff. A thorough process 

will help to avoid unforeseen or hidden O&M expenses later.

• System documentation

Provision of accurate and useful historical records is assured. Such records provide 

important data for O&M efforts as well as for future renovations, upgrades or repairs. 

Technical reports and other commissioning documents serve as benchmarks for future 

system testing, re-commissioning and for maintenance or renovation activities. 

• Knowledge transfer

 Systematic development of commissioning documentation facilitates knowledge 

transfer from one phase of delivery to the next and from the delivery process to 

the ensuing ongoing operation of the facility.

 Feedback through project management and report mechanisms can provide 

benefits to other projects by reporting on experience gained through the 

Validation and Acceptance Process.

• Protection of heritage character

The training and documentation provided and involvement of O&M staff in 

commissioning is the basis for informed maintenance that is sensitive to the needs of 

heritage materials and assemblies.

• LEED and BREEAM certification

Commissioning is a requirements of various programs such as Leadership in 

Environmental and Energy Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment 

Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Quality Guideline C2000 and enable the 

project to obtain the appropriate certification.

As seen above, many benefits from commissioning are not energy related. These have been 

studied over 36 recommissioning projects by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. As 

summarized on the next graph, we can see that one-third of the projects have observed an 

increase durability of their equipment. When the financial values of these non-energy impacts 

were quantified, the savings were estimated to be between $1 and $4.75 per year/m2.
Page 20 of 38 October 21, 2010

Comfort

21%

Equipement's life 

lenght

34%

Quality of indoor air

17%

Others

10%

Maintenance Cost

7%

Productivity and 

security

5%

Re-organsisation et 

garantee application

5%

Responsabilities

1%

Source: Lawrence 

Berkeley National 

Laboratory, « The 

Cost Effectiveness of 

Commercial-Buildings 

Commissioning », 

December 2004.
Page 21 of 38 October 21, 2010

3 The Process of Commissioning

A commissioning process is composed of 4 distinct phases: pre-design, design, construction and 

occupancy/operation. The figure found on next page describe briefly each of these phase.

Different guides written by different organizations worldwide are available and explain in details 

those different phases. As an example, the IEA Annex 40 developed five Standard 

Commissioning Plans. These plans are based on the building size and HVAC System 

complexity. They include typical lists of tasks with a description of the content of each task. 

They can be used as a basis to define customized Commissioning Plans adapted to a given 

project. 

[3]
Page 22 of 38 October 21, 2010

4 Costs of Commissioning, Recommissioning and Ongoing 

Commissoning

Costs of commissioning, recommissioning and ongoing commissioning will obviously differ 

form each other, but regardless of the type of commissioning being implemented, the cost for 

each project depends on:

 the scope of the process;

 the size of the project;

 the complexity of the system;

 the age and condition of existing equipments;

 the staff level of knowledge;

 the presence of adequate documentation.

Therefore, commissioning costs are difficult to estimate. There is no standard convention for 

determining which costs are included in the total cost of commissioning. For instance, a research 

laboratory with stringent air quality and ventilation requirements will necessitate more extensive 

and costly commissioning than a general-purpose warehouse. 

The commissioning lead’s fee is the most obvious cost, but sometimes the costs to other team 

members who participate in the commissioning process, and the cost of correcting problems 

identified by commissioning are also counted. Early involvement of the commissioning manager 

to help prepare the commissioning plan and budget will be instrumental in achieving control over 

the costs of commissioning.

Because it’s hard to define precisely, the cost of commissioning is most commonly and 

accurately presented as a range of potential costs rather than a specific dollar amount. No matter 

how it is defined, however, the cost of commissioning accounts for only a very small part of the 

overall construction budget, and an even smaller part of the building’s lifecycle costs.

Commissioning Costs – Starting the process from the beginning

Many commissioning activities and supporting documentation are already being performed as 

normal standard practice and do not constitute extra costs. Other commissioning activities, 

traditionally not provided by the design and construction industry, represent additional 

responsibilities for the project manager, designer and contractor.

In balance, there will undoubtedly be some additional initial costs to carrying out commissioning 

procedures. These will depend upon the degree of risk of non-compliance with the occupant's 

requirements or the life-cycle quality and cost plan the Owner is prepared to undertake. Here’s a 

figure that shows commissioning costs as reported in a study of 69 commissioning projects.
Page 23 of 38 October 21, 2010

Typical Commissioning Costs

Description Value or Range

Total Cx Cost $4.90 - $16.60/m2

Cx Provider Fee as % of Total Commissioning Cost 74% - 86%

Provider Fee as % of Total Construction Cost 0.3% - 1.1%

Design Review 18%

Construction Observation 14%

Acceptance Testing 64%

Warranty 4%

It has often been observed that O&M costs during the first year of operation are 50% to 150% 

higher than during following years. Experience, however, also indicates that the cost of 

commissioning is more than recovered through reduced O&M costs during this initial year of 

operation.

Recommissioning Costs – Starting the process a few years after building start-up

While costs vary depending on the complexity of the systems and project goals, recent studies 

show typical recommissioning project costs to be about $2.90/m2. A Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory’s study of 100 existing buildings (varying in type and size) found that 

recommissioning provider fees ranged from 35% to 71% of the total recommissioning costs. As 

shown in figure below, the largest percentage of costs for a project was for the investigation and 

planning phase activities (69%), followed by the actual implementation of measures (27%). 

Typical Recommissioning Costs

Implementation

27%

Vérification and 

persistance

2%

Reporting

2%

Investigation 

and Planning

69%

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “The Cost Effectiveness of Commercial-Buildings Commissioning,”

December 2004.
Page 24 of 38 October 21, 2010

Variables of commissioning costs

Experience to date indicates that full commissioning adds between 1% and 40 % to the 

mechanical and electrical construction cost of projects. These extra costs can be attributed to the 

provision of services not usually included in design and construction projects, such as: 

• Preparation of a commissioning plan;

• Increased coordination between the designer and property management staff;

• Available documentation and staff knowledge (for RCx);

• Production of more extensive systems documentation;

• Enhanced O&M documentation and training;

• Increased reviews (commissioning plan, commissioning specifications, design, 

building management manual, ...);

• Increased inspections and testing during construction;

• Temporary instrumentation requirements;

• Performance verification testing;

• Planning staff training;

• Prolongation of the Warranty Period.

Finally, it’s important to note that when the monetized value of commissioning’s benefits are 

taken into account, the cost of commissioning is often offset by more than 50%. One of the most 

significant factors is the ability to reduce a building’s net life-cycle costs and its potential to 

reduce first costs, when commissioning begins early in the design phase of the project. 
Page 25 of 38 October 21, 2010

5 Risks for Not Implementing a Commissioning Process

Beyond the direct first-cost aspects of commissioning process, there’re other risks and costs 

associated for not having an appropriate commissioning process. Among these risks, the majors 

ones are:

Discomfort 

Comfort problems affect every building owner – both those who occupy their facilities and those 

who lease them. 

Reduced Productivity

An uncomfortable building makes everyone less productive. Occupants spend more time 

complaining and often take more sick days. Building staff spend more time responding to 

comfort complaints and have less time to attend to their regular maintenance tasks.

Tenant Retention 

A chronically unhealthy building can cause owners to lose tenants and money. When tenants 

leave, rent revenues and leasing commissions are lost. In addition, word of uncomfortable 

building conditions is likely to spread among business peers, increasing vacancy periods.

Building’s asset value

Building owners may suffer from lower appraised building values if the property is not properly 

appraised for its operating performance. Equipment that is not well-maintained and operates 

inefficiently decreases the asset value of the property. The U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (US-EPA) has estimated that every dollar invested in energy upgrades yields $2 to $3 in 

increased asset value of a building.

Increased Liability

Owners are increasingly on the receiving end of lawsuits over poor indoor air quality in their 

buildings. They result in high costs to the owner, inconvenience to tenants, and wasted time on 

everyone’s part.
Page 26 of 38 October 21, 2010

6 International Activities

The global need for improved building performance has led to numerous international 

collaborations. Because technological and policy developments occur at different rates and in 

different regions, there is an opportunity for mutual benefit and rapid advancement through the 

exchange of information. Commissioning research projects under the International Energy 

Agency’s (IEA) Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBCS) program, 

Annex 40 (2000-2005) and Annex 47 (2005-2009), provide a forum for the exchange of 

knowledge and experience among participating countries. Common definitions of the 

commissioning process were established in Annex 40 (Visier et al. 2005) and the research 

initiated under each of these projects has become the basis for the development of national 

guidelines. 

6.1 The State of Building Systems Commissioning

Regional partnerships and international collaborations to promote the commissioning process 

have accelerated awareness and adoption. The following sections on the Asia Pacific, Europe, 

and North America regions provide an overview of the state of building systems commissioning. 

Each national assessment aims to present the national drivers, leading efforts and an indication of 

their success (if known). Fifteen countries are represented in this review. 

Asia Pacific

In the Asia Pacific region, the construction industry is experiencing unparalleled growth. 

China alone reports the annual construction of two billion square meters of floor space, (Qiu, 

2008). The environmental impact of this growth has global repercussions. It is therefore critical 

that the building industry adopt building commissioning as a standard practice to improve the 

quality and efficiency of design, construction, and operations. 

Asia Pacific countries are leveraging national energy laws, institutional mandates, and non-profit 

organizations to foster development of building systems commissioning. For several countries in 

the region, recent exposure through international symposia and conferences sparked interest that 

has developed into national research projects. This exchange of information is particularly 

useful for countries that have natural synergies, such as climate, that facilitate transfer of 

technologies or guidelines. Through these cooperative exchanges, countries are able to leapfrog 

technologies and accelerate adoption. 

Australia: Indoor environmental quality assessments, rising energy costs, and a greater 

understanding of the link between comfort and productivity are driving the demand for improved 

energy efficiency of buildings in Australia. At present, most of the commissioning projects are 

associated with major contracts and do not address smaller projects. Furthermore, the fully 

integrated approaches to project commissioning, promoted by the Chartered Institution of 

Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Page 27 of 38 October 21, 2010

conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) commissioning guidelines, are not well understood by the 

commercial sector, and this educational need is yet to be addressed (EcoLibrium 2006). 

Awareness of the importance of the commissioning process is increasing, largely due to the 

market influence of voluntary, performance-based rating schemes such as the National 

Australian Built Environment Rating System and the Green Building Council’s Green Star 

program. Through this mechanism, several large commercial real estate owners and 

governmental agencies have made commitments to achieve a certain rating in their building 

stock. The implementation and promotion of these rating schemes have the potential to trigger 

the demand for energy audits and commissioning in the existing building stock. Deakin 

University is developing rapid reporting techniques to facilitate building performance 

improvement in the commissioning process (Nakahara et al. 2007).

China: Mainland China has seen several construction booms. In the 1980’s the rapid 

growth of residential construction prompted the Ministry of Construction to develop energyefficient building codes. These codes did not include commissioning and quality, in general, was 

considered poor. In the 1990s, testing and commissioning concepts diffused into the Chinese 

buildings industry as part of the western management techniques from numerous overseas, joint 

venture construction projects (Chow et al. 2006). International partnerships now also extend to 

academic research. Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University, are conducting research 

on building optimization, building commissioning and other related work. In 2008, China’s 

Ministry for Construction released acceptance codes for building services equipment and 

building systems, though no information could be obtained regarding the administration and 

enforcement of these requirements.

Hong Kong was one of the first adopters and developers of the building commissioning 

process due to early exposure to the United Kingdom’s commissioning model. As early as 1990, 

the Hong Kong Government published twelve booklets based on the CIBSE Commissioning 

Codes. The documents were developed into commissioning specifications released in 2002 and 

are intended to be incorporated into government building project contracts (Chow et al. 2006). 

Furthermore, in 2004, Hong Kong introduced a new voluntary scheme, termed the Consolidated 

Environmental Performance Assessment Scheme (CEPAS), to promote the design of 

environmentally-friendly buildings. CEPAS incorporates building commissioning as a major 

element for performance assessment. 

The Hong Kong Building Commissioning Centre (HKBCxC) was established in 

December 2004 as a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the establishment of a 

standardized approach to building commissioning in Hong Kong. The HKBCxC organizes 

programs for continuing professional development, certification services and publishes 

guidebooks on the management of building commissioning, field measurements, and system 

tuning. In the “Practical Guide to Building Commissioning Management”, Chow et al (2006) 

report that independent contracts for commissioning and retro-commissioning are soaring in 

Hong Kong.

Japan: In 2006, building energy performance reporting became mandatory under the Energy 

Conservation Law. The reports are based on simple performance tests of the components and 

systems that have the largest impact on the energy consumption of heating, ventilation, and air-
Page 28 of 38 October 21, 2010

conditioning systems. In practice, there is significant variation in the implementation approach 

because no standard test procedures are specified and it is unclear whether relevant problems 

could be investigated adequately through the data contained in the reports. Hence, aspects of the 

commissioning process are drawing more attention in Japan’s building sector. In existing 

buildings, various approaches for retro-commissioning are commonly implemented, but initial 

commissioning for new construction is not common. 

In 2005 the Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASE) 

technical committee on commissioning issued a guideline on the building services 

commissioning process. The Building Services Commissioning Association (BSCA), a nonprofit organization launched in 2004, provides seminars about commissioning technologies in 

major cities and has undertaken cooperative activities with Asian countries such as China 

(including Hong Kong), Taiwan, and Korea. It also continues to compile commissioning 

documentation and tools through actual commissioning projects and research. BSCA’s strategy 

is to establish a certification program for commissioning engineers, including the 

Commissioning Authority, and to educate the construction industry and related government 

sectors.

Energy policy is playing an important role. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industries is 

interested in a new business model, based on building commissioning, to enhance energy 

efficiency of new and existing buildings and The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and 

Transportation is promoting use of lifecycle energy management with a newly developed 

simulation tool. Market demand for commissioning is believed to be strong but mandates, based 

on energy and environmental policy, are needed for building owners to apply building 

commissioning to new construction.

Taiwan: In Taiwan, building commissioning for new construction is considered established 

practice. The Taiwanese government has issued a mandate requiring that all public projects with 

a budget over 15 million U.S. dollars acquire the Green Building Label before a construction 

permit can be granted. Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB), commissioning, and the use of a 

building energy management system (BEMS) are prerequisites. However, the process 

implemented in Taiwan does not represent the full range of actions from design to operations. 

The commissioning role in Taiwan for existing buildings is typically similar to that served by 

energy service companies in Japan and the USA. Taiwan is involved in international activities to 

expand national practices as deemed necessary. For example, a review of the Green Building 

Label (similar to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for new construction 

in the USA and CASBEE in Japan) suggested that a commissioning plan be added. 

A national-scale project was launched in 2003, by the Architecture and Building Research 

Institute, Ministry of the Interior, to renovate all the central heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) systems in governmental buildings for energy conservation. The 

renovation process includes system diagnostics, remedial strategies, establishing engineering 

jobs, contracting, TAB, commissioning, and system performance validation through the BEMS. 

To date, 22 million USD have been spent with an overall energy-savings of 22 % and an average 

payback of five years. The success has since led to a series of demonstration projects for civil 

and governmental buildings. In 2008, Taiwan will launch another five-year program where the 

energy savings effort will be enhanced with greater system fine-tuning and commissioning as a 
Page 29 of 38 October 21, 2010

means to support the Kyoto Protocol and global CO2 emission reduction efforts.

Korea: The Korean Institute for Energy Research (KIER) is working to promote the 

commissioning process through energy conservation and quality assurance measures for new 

construction. Commissioning projects have been carried out by KIER as part of their research 

work, and have also been implemented in several buildings financed by foreigners. However, 

there is no recognized national standard and the Korean government has no intention to mandate 

the commissioning process. 

Europe: The countries of the European region present significant differences in their building 

delivery processes as well as their emphasis on energy efficiency and measures for quality 

assurance. For most, with the exception of the UK, the commissioning process is quite new. 

However, the European Commission established the European Performance of Buildings 

Directive, EPBD (EC 2002), to promote the improvement of energy efficiency and building 

performance. Four requirements to be implemented by the Member States are to: 1) develop a 

framework for a methodology to calculate the integrated performance of buildings, 2) set 

minimum standards in new and existing buildings, 3) certify the energy performance of 

buildings, and 4) inspect and assess heating and cooling installations.

According to reports from the member states, the EPBD poses significant challenges in terms of 

its practical implementation, including difficulties associated with the transfer of requirements 

into existing building practices under a range of climates. However, because the commissioning 

process is well aligned with the goals of the EPBD, several national research programs are 

introducing commissioning tools as a means to address the requirements of the directive. In 

many countries, commissioning tasks are focused on the building handover, or performed as part 

of the facilities management. However, for commissioning to have a real impact on savings, the 

review must begin at the pre-design phase, where changes are easier and more cost-effective to 

make. It is anticipated that the increased attention to energy efficiency in buildings will lead to 

greater application and consistency of commissioning through the building lifecycle.

Belgium: Commissioning research has been underway in Belgium for several years, and 

mainstream awareness of the importance of commissioning of low-energy buildings has 

increased due to the implementation of the EPBD and the introduction of the passive house 

concept for very low energy building. Energy performance laws, which set requirements for the 

energy performance and indoor climate for most buildings requiring a building permit, exist in 

the Flemish Region and are under development in the Brussels and Walloon regions. 

Czech Republic: Building commissioning is a new concept in the Czech Republic. Only some 

aspects of building commissioning are implemented as a part of the facility management and 

energy auditing processes that are related to EPBD implementation. Under the IEA Annex 47 

project, researchers have developed tools that support additional aspects of the broader 

commissioning process, including new control system energy services.
Page 30 of 38 October 21, 2010

Finland: Historically, individual contractors and builders in Finland have managed 

commissioning-related activities as part of their quality assurance measures. More recently, 

emphasis has been placed on the development and implementation of "energy auditing" 

procedures. In 2002, a Finnish national research program called CUBE was launched to improve 

the performance of building services. This program includes a national R&D project to develop 

Finnish procedures for building commissioning, focusing on the indoor air quality and energy 

efficiency of buildings. The Finnish term and concept of "toimivuuden varmistaminen (ToVa)," 

an adaptation of building systems commissioning, is being promoted. Practical testing and 

further development of the guidebook and tools are underway. Methods and tools to support the 

commissioning of buildings and their subsystems throughout the phases of the building life-cycle 

are being developed.

France: The commissioning process is just beginning to take hold in France and a national 

guideline on commissioning is under development. In practice, commissioning is implemented in 

the operations phase, though there is greater interest from large building owners for more 

complete commissioning plans as a result of ongoing national research and new requirements 

under the EPBD. Current research is focused on automating the commissioning process to 

improve performance, pushing for early implementation of the commissioning process from 

design through certification, and developing tools and procedures for specific building 

applications (e.g., schools).

Germany: Commissioning for new construction is not established or even required as a third 

party service in Germany. German law (HOAI) dictates that architects and design engineers 

perform the following tasks within the construction administration and construction supervision:

supervising acceptance and performance tests and statement of deficiencies;

collecting/compiling and delivering as-built documentation, operating manuals, and 

acceptance protocols; and

supervising the rectification of deficiencies that fall under the two-year contractor’s 

warranty period or the five-year design team warranty period from date of acceptance.

This approach, initiated in 1976, presents a model for internal commissioning during the 

construction phase and, in conjunction with energy conservation laws, has resulted in higher 

performing buildings. Efforts to implement the full commissioning process beginning in predesign have been more recent. In one German national research program on energy optimization 

in buildings (ENOB), more than twenty demonstration buildings surpassed national energy 

consumption standards by 50 % without incurring additional building costs. The program has 

been extended and now supports the design process, commissioning, and monitoring of the first 

two years of operation. ENOB also supports several projects focusing on improved 

commissioning and operation of innovative buildings. Energy agencies and utilities support 

energy efficiency through contracting and public private partnerships. Two other projects, 

ModBen and Building EQ, deal with performance evaluation of existing buildings.

The Netherlands: In the Netherlands, practitioners agree on the importance of building 

commissioning. However, it is currently only implemented in the installation and formal 
Page 31 of 38 October 21, 2010

handover of selected buildings. A pilot project on functional performance tests conducted in 

forty buildings identified that 70 % of the systems tested were malfunctioning, leading to 

increased energy use and reduced comfort. To improve system operation, large-building owners 

are investigating performance contracting for operations and maintenance, based on well-defined 

criteria. The commissioning process plays an important role. The Netherlands Organization for 

Applied Scientific Research is involved in the development of national standards concerning the 

energy performance of new buildings to promote the implementation of the whole 

commissioning process. 

Norway: Building commissioning is not an established practice in Norway. A draft national 

commissioning guideline was developed in 2007 to promote the life-long commissioning of 

building HVAC systems. The guideline is currently under review and several large governmental 

and private building owners are involved in the effort to verify, document and implement 

suitable tools to provide continuous control of energy and indoor environment during the life of 

the building.

United Kingdom: The UK developed the earliest commissioning codes and provided the basis 

for similar work in many other countries. CIBSE published the first commissioning code on airdistribution systems in 1960 and subsequently released codes for other types of equipment. The 

emphasis of the commissioning codes was originally post-construction commissioning. Bordass 

(2008) reports that independent commissioning engineers were usually appointed as part of the 

design and build team in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. However, as markets became more 

competitive, in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, commissioning was less commonly sold as a separate 

service and eventually became a subcontractor role, which had a negative impact on quality due 

to cost-cutting pressures. Today, initial commissioning has become routine for large projects 

and quality has once again improved but there are still major challenges in that the 

commissioning period is often squeezed when other delays impact the delivery date. 

The current set of CIBSE commissioning codes includes: air distribution systems, boilers, 

automatic controls, lighting, management (Code M), refrigeration, and water distribution 

systems. Code M shows an important change in the approach to the initial commissioning 

process by stating that the commissioning manager should be appointed early in the design phase 

in order for the system to be designed as commissionable. 

Other organizations have also been directly involved in improving the commissioning industry. 

The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA), a non-profit consulting 

design, construction, and operations organization is leading the “Soft landings” development 

with support from the Usable Buildings Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving 

building performance through the better use of feedback. The Soft landings procedure aims to 

reduce the loss of information by extending the service of the design and building (and 

commissioning) team to facilitate fine-tuning and debugging at building handover in order to 

achieve a closer match between design targets and building operation, and to allow individuals to 

learn from the experience (BSRIA 2008). The Commissioning Specialists Association (CSA) is 

focused on career development, including training and certification of individuals. 

Although retrocommissioning is not widespread, there is expected to be a major increase in its 

implementation as demand for improved energy and carbon performance increases, driven by 

new requirements of the EPBD, occupants, and building owners.
Page 32 of 38 October 21, 2010

North America

In North America, the concept of building commissioning began with the Code of Practice for 

Commissioning Mechanical Systems in Buildings that was developed in 1986 by the Standing 

Committee of Consulting Engineers and Mechanical Contractors of British Columbia. Today 

there are several, industry-recognized guidelines on the commissioning process: ASHRAE 

Guideline 1-1989 The HVAC Commissioning Process (revised in 1996), and ASHRAE 

Guideline 0-2005, The Commissioning Process. Although building systems commissioning is 

established practice in both Canada and the USA, the process is not widespread. Many of the 

existing resources are focused on conventional HVAC systems and there is need for information 

on other types of systems, particularly due to increased interest in non-conventional, low energy 

systems.

In Canada and the USA, awareness has increased through professional organizations, 

certification programs (e.g., LEED), large-owner mandates, and energy-efficiency initiatives. 

However, market barriers are significant. There is a need for greater awareness of the benefits 

and cost of commissioning to increase demand, and a need for more training and certification of 

commissioning providers to increase the supply. At present, building owners lack the access to 

experience and lessons learned in easily accessible, creditable and persuasive formats that would 

facilitate their investment decisions. Furthermore, tools and standardization are needed to reduce 

the cost of commissioning and improve the cost-benefit ratio for greater uptake. This includes 

automated tools, data on cost-benefits, and clear specifications for key building performance 

metrics, monitoring methods, and energy calculation methods. 

Details of national initiatives are described below.
Page 33 of 38 October 21, 2010

Canada: Existing building commissioning in Canada is at the early stage of its development. 

While the demand for commissioning services remains stagnant, there are encouraging signs of 

activity transformation favorable to the creation of a better structured and more efficient market 

place. As more and more building owners and managers strive for energy conservation and 

building sustainability, their first step consists to improve their building operation efficiency. 

With the increase of energy prices, low cost technology availability and their practical 

advantages have strengthened the demand for energy-saving HVAC controls.

In order to support institutional and commercial businesses in this shifting market, the Ministry 

of Natural Resources Canada and its energy science and technology organization, 

CanmetENERGY, provides knowledge, services and tools for recommissioning, commissioning 

and ongoing commissioning projects. They offer to building engineers, technicians, owners, 

managers and other similar stakeholders a suite of capacity-building and decision-making tools, 

including guides, training material, awareness seminars, pre-screening and benchmarking tools 

and case studies. CanmetENERGY developed an application software tool (DABOTM) to 

continuously monitor, detect and diagnose the operation inconsistencies and poor performances 

of a building’s electromechanical systems. 

Furthermore, the Demand Side Management Working Group (DSMWG) created by Natural 

Resources Canada collaborates with utilities, public works, green building associations and 

standard organizations on energy management to accelerate the training and certification of 

commissioning providers and to raise stakeholders’ awareness on the benefits of commissioning 

work. The persistence of energy savings has also attracted the interest of DSMWG and action 

has been undertaken to implement a new Energy Management Information System (EMIS) 

component to the recommissioning process.

It is also worth mentioning that the Canadian Standard Association is preparing a new standard 

on commissioning that should come into effect in 2011. 

USA: Rising energy costs and a shift in public policy that emphasizes the need for energy 

independence are driving energy conservation. In the absence of national commissioning 

requirements, individual state codes and institutional mandates have proven to be strong market 

drivers, though enforcement mechanisms have been problematic.

The buildings industry is working to address market barriers and improve the quality of its 

services. Non-profit organizations, including ASHRAE, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. 

(PECI), the California Commissioning Collaborative and the Building Commissioning 

Association (BCA), provide access to industry resources for both providers and building owners, 

including: 

 A library of published papers and commissioning guides for retro-, initial, and on-going 

commissioning; tools: design guides, operations and maintenance best practices, case 

studies database; Sample documents: commissioning plans, specifications, functional 

tests, checklists; and training and certification programs, career and provider directories.

In recent years, market indicators show growth in the number of firms offering commissioning 

services. In 2008, 267 commissioning provider firms and 665 members registered with the BCA. 

There has also been a dramatic increase in commissioning certification and training provided by 
Page 34 of 38 October 21, 2010

professional organizations, which indicate a demand by engineering professionals for more 

knowledge. 

Utilities and government agencies have also invested resources on research and technology 

demonstration activities in an effort to stimulate the market for commissioning. More 

investment is needed to significantly improve the energy efficiency of the existing building 

stock, to meet the low energy targets for new construction, and to address the projected shortage 

of skilled and certified providers. 

6.2 Synthesized overview

Commissioning is a promising quality assurance process and is gaining acceptance 

internationally as a means to improve building performance. The concept of commissioning 

originated in the UK in the 1960’s and developed in Hong Kong and Canada in the 1980’s. The 

process has been refined in individual countries and researchers are working with the building 

industry to merge the commissioning process with existing best practices to develop a more 

complete and streamlined approach to ensure that buildings operate as intended. 

Within the building industry, the need for improved energy efficiency and quality assurance has 

long been evident, but shortsighted investment criteria and decisions present a major barrier. In 

recent years, rising energy consumption in buildings and greater awareness of their energy 

impact has prompted both national and international concerns regarding energy security and 

environmental security. Furthermore, much of the information on potential energy savings or 

cost savings through commissioning is anecdotal. There is an immediate need for research to 

establish standard methodologies to document actual costs and benefits.

International programs provide the basis for technology transfer and policy adoption. In the area 

of commissioning, this includes the IEA ECBCS Annex 40 and Annex 47 research projects, the 

international dissemination of commissioning information lead by national commissioning nonprofit organizations, and international commissioning projects. As a result of these interactions, 

individual countries have begun to adopt strategies to improve the performance of their existing 

building stock and improve the delivery process for new buildings. 

Early investors in the commissioning process have attempted a number of different development 

paths including national research programs, industry guidelines, government mandates, training 

programs, demonstration projects, international collaborations, and the creation of non-profit 

organizations to gather resources and disseminate information. One of the most promising of 

these is the establishment of commissioning demonstration projects with detailed information 

about the associated costs and benefits of the process. The need for quantitative and qualitative 

information (beyond anecdotal reports) is universal. Demonstration projects can provide a 

foothold for the industry and justify the large owner mandates, national mandates, and additional 

measures that are needed to scale up the adoption of commissioning as standard practice.

The dissemination of information and education is also a critical component in establishing the 

commissioning process. Non-profit organizations including the BSCA, CIBSE, HCBCxC, and 

PECI have each played a key role in fostering interest in commissioning research and 

commissioning projects and exchanging information, first on national levels, and increasingly at 

international levels.
Page 35 of 38 October 21, 2010

Although the goals of reducing energy consumption and green house gases are gaining political 

support, investment still lags behind. There is a disparity between those who must invest in the 

development of commissioning technologies and those who would benefit. Because adoption 

has been slow, public and private partnerships are needed to grow both the supply side and the 

demand side of the commissioning market. On the supply side, there is a need for greater 

standardization of products and services. There is a dramatic shortage of skilled providers and a 

lack of resources to enable the industry to improve the building delivery process. On the demand 

side, resources are needed to make the business case for the long-term benefits of their 

investment. Owners lack the resources, such as contracting documents, and market information 

that is needed to facilitate the procurement of commissioning services. Harmonization is needed 

to assure that the process adequately spans the building lifecycle and to ensure that the benefits 

obtained in individual projects can be scaled up to meet national needs. Continued support for 

the development of the commissioning market is needed for a global increase in building 

performance. 
Page 36 of 38 October 21, 2010

7 References and Commissioning Guides

References

Energy Design Resources, 1998, ‘Design Brief Buildings Commissioning’

Grondzik, W., 2009, ‘Principles of Building Commissioning’, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-11297-7

IEA ECBCS ANNEX 40, 2004, ‘Commissioning Tools Final Report Annex 40’

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 20046, ‘The Cost Effectiveness of 

Commercial‐B uildings C om m issioning’.

Public work and government Services Canada, 2003, Commissioning Manual (CP.1-CP13)

Commissioning Guides

ASHRAE Guideline 1-1996: The HVAC Commissioning Process, ASHRAE, 2006, 

http://www.ashrae.org/

ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005: The commissioning process, ASHRAE, 2005,

http://www.ashrae.org/

California Commissioning Guide: New Building, California commissioning collaborative, 

2006, http://www.cacx.org/resources/documents/CA_Commissioning_Guide_New.pdf

Commissioning Guide for New Buildings, Natural Resources Canada, 2010, 

www.canmetenergy.nrcan.gc.ca/cx_guide.html

Recommissioning (RCx) Guide for Building Owners and Managers, Natural Resources 

Canada, 2009, http://canmetenergy-canmetenergie.nrcanrncan.gc.ca/eng/buildings_communities/buildings/recommissioning/publications/2008167.html

Building Commissioning The Key to Quality Assurance, Rebuild America Guide Series, US 

Department Of Energy, 2001, http://www.peci.org/library/PECI_BldgCxQA1_0500.pdf
Page 37 of 38 October 21, 2010

8 Annex 47 Participants

Name Country Affiliation

Alexis Versele Belgium KaHo St-Lieven

Hilde Breesch Belgium KaHo St-Lieven

Stephane Bertagnolio Belgium University of Liege

Daniel Choiniere Canada Natural Resources Canada

Zhongxiian Gu China TNO Beijing

Yongning Zhang China Tsinghua University

Karel Kabele Czech Republic Czech Technical University

Pavla Dvorakova Czech Republic Czech Technical University

Michal Kabrhel Czech Republic Czech Technical University

Mika Violle Finland Helsinki university 

Jorma Pietilainen Finland VTT

Hannu Keranen Finland Helsinki university of Tech.

Lari Eskola Finland HUT

Satu Paiho Finland VTT

Hossein Vaezi-Nejad France Dalkia

Oliver Baumann Germany Ebert & Baumann Consulting Eng.

Steffen Plesser Germany IGS

Christian Neumann Germany ISE

Dirk Jacob Germany ISE

Anatoli Hein Germany IGS

Michele Liziero Germany/Italy Politecnico di Milano, Guest Scientist at 

Fraunhofer ISE

Jochen Schaefer Germany Ebert & Baumann Consulting Eng

Shengwei Wang HK/China Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Xinhua Xu HK/China Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Zhenjun Ma HK/China Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Zhou Cxiang HK/China Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Xiao Fu Linda HK/China Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Na Zhu Honk kong Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Zoltan Magyar Hungary University of Pecs

Csaba Fodor Hungary University of Pecs

Harunori Yoshida Japan Kyoto University

Motoi Yamaha Japan Chubu University

Mingjie Zheng Japan Sanyo Air Conditioning
Page 38 of 38 October 21, 2010

Yasunori Akashi Japan Kyushu University

Hiroo Sakai Japan Hitachi Plant Technologies

Katuhiro Kamitani Japan Tonets Corporation

Ryota Kuzuki Japan Tokyo Gas Co

Katsuhiko Shibata Japan Takasago Thermal Eng. Co

Fulin Wang Japan Kyoto University

Masato Miyata Japan Kyoto University (student)

Hirotake Shingu Japan Kyoto University (student)

Hiromasa Yamaguchi Japan Kansai Electric Power Co

Ryusi Yanagihara Japan Tokyo Electric Power Co

Hideki Yuzawa Japan Nikken Sekkei Research Institute

Takao Odajima Japan Takenaka Corp.

hirobumi ueda Japan Osaka Gas CO., Ltd

Masahiro Shinozaki Japan Kyushu Electric Power Co.

Katsuhiro Kamitani Japan Tonets

Mingjie zheng Japan SANKO AIR CONDITIONING CO.,LTD

Katsuhiko Shibata Japan Takasago Thermal Engineering Co.Ltd

Vojislav Novakovic Norway NTNU

Natasa Djuric Norway NTNU

Marko Masic Norway NTNU

Vojislav Novakovic Norway NTNU

Henk Peitsman the Netherlands TNO

Luc Soethout the Netherlands TNO

Ipek Gursel the Netherlands Delft University

Natascha Milesi Ferretti USA National Institute of Standards & 

Technology

David Claridge USA Texas A&M University

Hannah Friedman USA Portland Energy Conservation Inc.

Omer Akin USA Carnegie Mellon University

Ashish Singhal USA Johnson Controls

Tudy Haasl USA Portland Energy Conservation Inc

Phil Haves USA Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory