Building Commissioning |
Building commissioning is quality assurance for a building owner that they are getting exactly what they want and what they are paying for. By integrating a commissioning agent with a building design team, the owner has someone involved every step of the way that is only concerned with the owner's interests. The commissioning agent can be involved from the pre-design phase all the way through the occupancy phase and in many cases continue to be involved throughout the operation of the facility to verify systems continue to perform as they should. Commissioning is a pre-requisite for any LEED project but can also be very valuable for any new building not attempting LEED certification. Existing buildings will also benefit from retro commissioning by experiencing a reduction in energy costs and improved occupant comfort.
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LEED Coordination |
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. In order to become LEED certified, a building must go through an application process with many pre-requisites and credits that must be documented. This is a collaborative process between the entire design team and building owner. With so many small pieces to a large project, it is often necessary to have one project team member that only focuses on the LEED documentation process.
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Energy Audits |
An energy audit is a systematic approach to problem solving and decision making. The primary goals of an energy audit are to qualify and quantify how the building energy systems are performing now, how that performance can be improved, and what will be the outcomes of those improvements for the Owner in financial and non-financial terms.
The following types of energy audits can be performed for any facility: ASHRAE Level 1 – Walk-Through Analysis/Preliminary Audit ASHRAE Level 2 – Energy Survey and Analysis ASHRAE Level 3 – Detailed Analysis of Capital Intensive Modifications |
Energy Modeling |
Energy modeling can help optimize the building design and allow the design team to prioritize investments in the strategies that will have the greatest effect on the building’s energy use. Energy Modeling can be used for many different purposes including:
Compare systems for Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) Predict building energy use Comply with LEED Determine impact of energy related upgrades |
Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies |
With tax incentives and the ever growing cost of energy, many people are turning to renewable energy. Through preliminary design, energy modeling and some financial calculations, it is possible to determine the feasibility and economic benefit of installing some of today's most common renewable energy systems such as: solar photo-voltaic, solar thermal and wind turbines.
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Building Information Modeling (BIM) |
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of developing a building model which is used in presenting and visualizing building components, construction sequences, resource allocation and other disciplines of the construction process in a virtual environment. The biggest advantage of using BIM is fewer errors and fewer field modifications – saving costs and resources.
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Energy Star Certification Coordination |
The U.S. EPA's Energy Star program has developed an energy performance rating system for several commercial, institutional and manufacturing building types. These ratings, on a scale of 1 to 100, provide a means for bench-marking the energy efficiency of specific buildings and industrial plants against the energy performance of similar facilities.
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Return on Investment (ROI) Evaluations |
Energy reducing upgrades to a facility can often often have a pay back period of less than one year. With these upgrades making so much financial sense, they should not be ignored. In order to determine a pay back period or return on investment, an energy model can be built for a facility to model the effects of the energy reducing upgrades.
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Exterior Lighting Evaluation |
With exterior lighting, safety and light pollution are often considered during design, however; these issues are rarely investigated after installation. An over lit site could cause unwanted light pollution to neighboring areas and an under lit site could be dangerous for pedestrians. New or existing sites can be evaluated for conformance to local requirements and IES standards.
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Third Party Liason |
Many times, when engineers are designing facilities in an area they are unfamiliar with, it is common to have a third party liaison to aid in the facilitation of the permit process. The liaison can review engineered drawings for compliance with local rules, regulations and ordinances.
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Document Existing Building Conditions |
If a building has been in existence for a lengthy amount of time, it has often gone through many upgrades and changes that are not always documented. In order to improve a facility to make it function better, it is necessary to know what the building consists of. For these reasons, documenting existing building conditions is important so building owners can understand the condition of their building in its current state. Then, with this information, it is possible to make educated decisions on cost effective upgrades for the facility.
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