Page 28 - Climate Control News Magazine April 2021

Residential Air Conditioning
Standard needed to improve commissioning
AUSTRALIA’S HVAC INDUSTRY has been un- able to agree on a clear, single set of requirements or standards to define the scope and objectives of building commissioning which has contributed to the prevalence of system control faults and in- stallation errors.
RAC problems associated with poor commis- sioning are likely to remain high until industry reach agreement, according to the Expert Group.
The research firm has prepared a report for the federal government entitled Leaks, Mainte- nance and Emissions which states the intent of proper commissioning is to discover and rectify design and installation faults and control system errors that ensure the system performs well.
“One of the most important aspects of system commissioning is the provision of baseline infor- mation to inform the ongoing operation and maintenance/tuning approach, and to apply fault detection and analysis to a system,” the re- port said.
“Incorrect commissioning means that the system settings will be inaccurate, and operational perfor- mance will never achieve the designer’s intent.
“Even after commissioning is completed, changes may be made to systems and compo- nents (for example during defects liability peri- od) which can negatively impact operating ener- gy efficiency.”
The report found non-technical barriers to ef- fective commissioning are numerous, and in-
clude insufficient time allowed in the building program, costs and lack of management under- standing of the value of commissioning.
“The industry has not agreed on a set of require- ments or Australian Standards to define the pro- cess for the testing, adjusting and balancing of the air, water and refrigerant aspects of commercial air conditioning systems,” the report said.
“COMMISSIONING IS USUALLY SQUEEZED IN AT THE END OF THE PROJECT JUST BEFORE HANDOVER.”
Lack of information on commissioning pro- cesses and methods is not the problem. The AI- RAH Application Manual DA27 Building Com- missioning and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) have docu- mented Australian industry-endorsed building commissioning and tuning guidelines.
“Recommissioning, retro-commissioning, and building or system tuning methodologies are all potential cost-effective solutions to the energy penalties associated with non-commis- sioned or poorly commissioned air condition- ing,” the report said.
Some jurisdictions in the United States have mandated periodic building tuning processes while Hong Kong enforces an annual inspection of mechanical services in large buildings which includes checking system maintenance records.
Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors Association executive manager for policy and communications, Ben Hawkins, said this is a long-standing issue that needs to be addressed.
“For a variety of reasons, building commis- sioning hasn't been held in the same regard as other disciplines within the design and con- struction process,” he said.
“But when you really think about it, commis- sioning is critical because it helps to make sure a building does what it was designed to do. Not just at handover, but throughout the asset lifecycle.”
Hawkins said the lack of an Australian Stand- ard has probably contributed to commissioning being marginalised.
Plus, he said it takes place towards the end of the construction process when time is short, just before handover.
“This means the time allocated to commission- ing is often squeezed to make up time,” he said.
Working with AIRAH and other industry stakeholders, AMCA is pushing for the develop- ment of a commissioning standard to be intro- duced via Standards Australia.
Hawkins said the process is underway and AMCA is optimistic that the introduction of a standard will elevate the role of commissioning across the
entire industry.
“We will also be pushing
for a greater focus on com- missioning within the train- ing system to ensure a strong- er throughput of highly skilled commissioning agents,” he said.
“These are the people that are in the best position to ar- ticulate and advocate for the value of commissioning to head contractors, clients, and other decision-makers.”
LEFT: Commissioning takes place at the end of the construction process
when time is short.
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