the scope of a Retro-Commissioning RCx project. - SCS Engineers

S C S E N G I N E E R S ’ R E T R O - C O M M I S S I O N I N G E X A M P L E
R C x O v e r v i e w
Commissioning (Cx) is an analytical testing and verification process for tuning performance of
the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as they are installed in a building.
This process is referred to as Retro-Commissioning (RCx) when it is performed for buildings
that were never originally commissioned, Continuous Commissioning (CCx) when it is a
recurring process that is more integrated with the routine maintenance program, or Re-
Commissioning, when the building has been previously commissioned and is in need of
additional optimization. Although specific systems or pieces of equipment in an existing
building may have been commissioned, often this was accomplished by the equipment installer
or supplier. RCx is intended to ensure that all major systems and equipment were installed and
are operating consistent with the design intent and Current Facility Requirements (CFR).
T y p i c a l R C x G o a l s
A typical goal of an RCx project is to provide a thorough understanding of the operating
characteristics and current operating conditions of the HVAC and control systems at a facility.
Based on that level of understanding of the building systems, a parallel goal is to identify and
evaluate opportunities for improvements to equipment operation, control, and maintenance.
Another related RCx goal is to address any deficiencies in HVAC design or construction.
T y p i c a l R C x P r o j e c t S c o p e
As suggested above, RCx is a systematic process for verifying that installed equipment (e.g.,
HVAC, lighting, building envelope, etc.) has the capability and is configured correctly to most
efficiently meet the needs of the building occupants. The RCx building system optimization
process typically involves the following project scope:
Work with building operators to identify and recommend improvements to
operational strategies and maintenance procedures
Conduct point-to-point testing of the Building Automation System (BAS)
Develop, test, and report the function of each device and system of devices
Identify and report deficiencies
Investigate deficiencies and provide recommended corrective actions
Develop a low/no cost list of equipment recommendations that require repairs valued
at $10,000 or less, including life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and simple payback
Develop a list of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) where costs are greater than
$10,000 to implement, including LCCA and simple payback
Assist the team in selecting an implementation strategy
Verify that selected corrective active measures are implemented
Provide follow-up performance verification services to confirm systems are operating
as intended
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T y p i c a l R C x P r o j e c t P h a s e s
An RCx project typically has the following phases and associated tasks:
Pre-site Investigation Phase
o Tasks: Project Kickoff and Planning
o Tasks: Documentation Review
o Tasks: Management and Maintenance Staff Interviews
Site Investigation Phase
o Tasks: Occupant Interviews
o Tasks: System Performance Testing
Analysis Phase
o Tasks: Issue Analysis and Problem Resolution
Corrective Action Phase
o Tasks: Selected Facility Improvement Measures are Implemented
o Tasks: Field Inspection Verification
Follow Up Phase
o Tasks: Performance Measurement and Verification
T y p i c a l P r o j e c t T a s k s
A general description of some of the tasks included in the Pre-site Investigation Phase, the Site
Investigation Phase, and the Analysis Phase are provided below:
Prepare an RCx Plan for investigating and analyzing all relevant HVAC systems for
their abilities to optimally meet the current facilities’ operational needs, using the
minimal amounts of energy and water necessary.
Compile facility HVAC documentation including a drawing log, an equipment list,
and existing control sequences, where available. Benchmark current HVAC system
energy, natural gas, and building water consumption, where data is available, to
assess current performance and evaluate the effects of changes on future performance.
Carry out the on-site investigation and data analysis, compile building HVAC system
data, conduct interviews, and utilize trend logs from building automation system
controls, portable data logging, and functional testing, as appropriate.
Optimize HVAC control systems through implementation of simple (

S C S E n g i n e e r s ’ R C x E x a m p l e
Identify potential Operations and Maintenance (O&M) personnel training
opportunities for improved energy and water efficient practices, and response to
changing requirements of the facilities and occupants.
T y p i c a l R C x C o s t s
As shown in the summary information above, there are many aspects to RCx projects, and the
cost of performing RCx services can vary widely between different facilities. A good way to
view the typical cost of an RCx project is by looking at what energy savings are possible from
conducting an RCx project. For example, a 100,000 sq ft office building in New York uses an
average of 12 kWh/sq ft/year of electricity and 0.3 therms/sq ft/year of natural gas. The annual
cost of electricity would be approximately:
100,000 sq ft x 12 kWh/sq ft/year x $0.15/kWh = $180,000/year of electricity
For the same example building, the annual cost of natural gas would be approximately:
100,000 sq ft x 0.3 therms/sq ft/yr x $0.75/therm = $22,500/year of natural gas
The total annual energy cost for this example building is approximately $202,500/year. Typical
annual energy savings associated with RCx efforts are between 20 percent and 30 percent. Using
an estimated energy savings of 25 percent, the annual energy savings associated with the RCx
effort would be approximately $50,000/year.
The expected cost of RCx services can vary from project to project. However, for this example
facility, the RCx services would cost approximately $75,000 and would have a simple payback
of 1.5 years. Typical simple paybacks for RCx services are generally in the range of 1 to 3 years,
depending on the building and scope of work.
In addition, RCx services improve indoor air quality, reduce occupant complaints, improve
productivity, and can save operations and maintenance personnel time in addressing operational
issues. These factors are difficult to quantify but can sometimes greatly exceed the energy
savings associated with the RCx process.
R e t r o - C o m m i s s i o n i n g E x p e r i e n c e
As an example of our recent RCx efforts, SCS was awarded three major RCx projects by the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under our GSA Energy Services Blanket Purchase
Agreement (BPA). The projects are for retro-commissioning of 24 VA medical center campuses
– over 21 million square feet of buildings in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)
Region 1 (New England), Region 3 (New York and New Jersey), and Region 12 (Great Lakes).
The VA retro-commissioning (RCx) projects entail evaluating existing building systems to
ensure that they operate and interact optimally. The SCS Team investigated building heating,
ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, their control systems, hot water, chilled water,
and boiler systems; monitoring and testing equipment; adjusting operation and making simple
repairs. In addition, SCS identified low-cost operational and maintenance improvements that can
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achieve the objectives listed below and help avoid the need for major equipment replacement.
Larger repairs, more capital intensive corrective actions, energy savings measures, and other
improvements were identified and their costs estimated.
The objectives of the RCx projects included:
Investigate comprehensive RCx issues, with the goals of improved infection control,
occupant comfort, and indoor air quality
Evaluate energy and resource efficiency
Reduce energy consumption and costs
Improve operation efficiency and maintenance
Extend HVAC system life
Identify needed repairs and implementation of simple repairs
Identify capital intensive corrective actions
SCS is currently working on additional RCx projects, including 10 federal buildings in Denver,
Colorado. The scope of work is similar to the RCx project described above. SCS is also
currently conducting follow up work for the VA within VISN-12, in the areas of Cx and RCx.
References from all of these projects, and additional projects, are available upon request and can
be contacted, if desired.
E n e r g y E n g i n e e r i n g S t a f f E x a m p l e s
SCS energy engineering staff is primarily comprised of mechanical and electrical engineers. We
have some nuclear, chemical, and controls engineers as well. Below are bios of some of our key
energy management engineering staff. Information on additional energy engineering staff can be
provided upon request or on a project specific basis:
Sam Cooke, PE, CEM, CEEP, MBA has over 31 years of professional and project management
experience in engineering with a concentration in environmental and energy engineering. He is
the manager of SCS’s Upper Midwest Energy Division and is SCS’s National Partner for Energy
Management Services. Sam served as program manager for the VA VISN 12 RCx projects in
Madison and Tomah, Wisconsin. His primary areas of technical expertise include energy
management; energy engineering; process/design engineering; retro-commissioning; regulatory
compliance and environmental assessments/audits. Mr. Cooke has managed over 1,000 projects
in 31 states with many industrial, manufacturing, government agency, and corporate clients.
Herb Hannam, CEM, has 37 years of experience as an engineer and manager. His areas of
expertise include industrial controls, electronic scales, fuel cell systems, and other related energy
systems. He has worked in both hardware and software design. More recently he has worked in
the area of energy efficiency and finding ways to conserve resources. Herb works with data
loggers, infrared cameras, combustion analyzers, ultrasonic leak detection and other equipment
to identify multiple energy saving projects. Herb then analyzes the data, calculates the energy
savings, and creates cost estimates.
Stacey Demers, LEED AP, has over 20 years of experience working on solid waste, energy
conservation, and, most recently, retro-commissioning and sustainability project work. Stacey
provides coordination and review for the Veterans Administration VISN 1, 3, and 12 retro-
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commissioning projects. Stacy’s work includes program management for the 24 project sites,
assistance with the projects’ technical standards committee, and quality control of the
documentation deliverables. Stacey has also conducted numerous energy audits.
Natalia Camblor, CEM, EBCP, CBCP has 8 years of experience providing retrocommissioning
and energy analysis services at multiple facility types, including hospitals,
nursing homes, schools, higher education facilities, dormitories, libraries, prisons, administrative
buildings, laboratories, and courthouses. She has also served as a Commissioning Authority for
solar hot water and photovoltaic systems. Natalia’s expertise is discovering energy usage issues
in existing buildings and advising building owners on implementing money saving solutions.
Natalia has worked with multiple utility and state-based energy efficiency programs in multiple
states. She is experienced with building modeling software, including eQuest, Trane Trace, and
TRNSYS. She has edited/published several energy efficiency guides, as well as developed retrocommissioning
and energy audit procedures.
Tony Kriel, PE, LEED AP, has over 5 years of experience as a mechanical engineer and is a
registered Professional Engineer in the state of Wisconsin. His project experience includes
specializing in commissioning, retro-commissioning, energy modeling, renewable energy
technology analysis, and geothermal design. In particular, Tony has been involved with
implementing the commissioning process and providing energy modeling services for a Near Net
Zero Border Patrol Station in Texas. Design was in accordance with USCBP Facility Design
Guide. This project was also designed to achieve a minimum LEED Silver certification in
accordance with USGBC’s sustainable design principles. Specifically, he provided technical
assistance to the project manager in identifying synergies that will reduce energy consumption
resulting in a facility with an annual net zero energy use or near net zero energy.
Don Isham, LEED AP, has 7 years of experience as a Commissioning Engineer. He specializes
in new construction commissioning and has served as Commissioning Agent on many types of
projects, including laboratories, hospitals, research, educational, government, and commercial
facilities. He is experienced in the commissioning of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building
automation systems, fire alarm, fire protection, renewable energy, security, compressed air,
medical gas, and building envelope systems. Mr. Isham has additional experience in HVAC
preventive maintenance, space flight science experiment operations, industrial safety, and quality
control.
Ben Bartling, CEM is a mechanical engineer and has over 5 years of experience in the building
automation systems (BAS) contracting business. He has an extensive background working in the
field overseeing direct digital controls (DDC) electrical installations and systems dynamic
commissioning. Ben is also experienced in troubleshooting mechanical system startups, and
programming for HVAC with Johnson Controls. His background with Johnson Controls has
primarily been commissioning large, complex HVAC systems on the campus of the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. Other projects throughout the southern half of Wisconsin include
hospitals, data centers, K-12 schools, industrial facilities, and commercial facilities installations.
Mr. Bartling is committed to optimizing control strategies for energy efficiency, decreasing
costs, and maintaining the comfort of the building occupants. Ben is currently involved in the
retro-commissioning of the VA facilities in Madison and Tomah.
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Nathan Aslesen is a nuclear engineer who has over two years and a half of experience as an
environmental consultant and is part of the energy engineering team involved with conducting
RCx projects, energy and compressed air system audits, sub-metered equipment data logging,
and numerous project research assignments. Nathan has collected and analyzed data on HVAC
systems, compressed air, lighting, and process equipment. Nathan has experience using
Universal Translator software to process trend data collected from building automation systems
as a tool for assessing the performance of building control systems. Nathan has an M.S. in
Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics. He is currently involved in the retrocommissioning
of the VA facilities in Madison and Tomah.
David Hostetter, EIT, is a Project Professional in SCS’s Reston, Virginia office. His project
experience includes mechanical design, commissioning and retro-commissioning, energy
modeling and energy audits, LEED design and documentation, and mechanical and lighting
surveys. Most recently Mr. Hostetter was the Site Project Manager of a large retrocommissioning
project, of more than 1,500,000 square feet of building space, for two Veterans
Affairs campuses in New Jersey. David created plans to evaluate the operating conditions of
HVAC systems, managed the execution of these plans, analyzed the results, completed energy
calculations, and wrote retro-commissioning reports and gave presentations identifying how the
VA can modify these systems to achieve increased energy efficiency. A wide variety of
buildings were retro-commissioned, ranging from an 800,000 sq. ft. hospital to boiler plants,
chillers, office buildings, nursing home and residences, and other buildings.
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