ESCO Commissioning and Retro-Commissioning Flashcards

Studies such as LBNL's commissioning cost-effectiveness research report what typical whole-building energy savings range for retro-commissioning existing buildings?

Answer: About 10–20%

LBNL meta-analyses found median existing-building commissioning savings of roughly 16% with paybacks of about a year.

Which commissioning deliverable gives building operators the system descriptions, sequences, setpoints, and maintenance information they need for long-term operation?

Answer: Systems Manual

The Systems Manual collects operational information so that staff can keep systems performing as commissioned.

An RCx investigation finds that chilled water pumps run at constant speed despite having VFDs installed, with the drives locked at 60 Hz in hand mode. What is the appropriate fix?

Answer: Return the VFDs to automatic control based on a differential pressure setpoint

Restoring automatic DP-based speed control uses the existing VFDs and gains cube-law pump energy savings.

Under ASHRAE Guideline 0 and Standard 202, when should the commissioning process ideally begin on a new construction project?

Answer: During the pre-design phase

The Cx process starts at pre-design so the OPR can guide design, construction, and acceptance.

In an ESPC, savings from an RCx measure can degrade over time. Which contract provision best protects persistence of these savings?

Answer: Ongoing M&V with periodic re-commissioning or trend reviews included in the performance period services

Operational savings tend to drift, so periodic verification and recommissioning keep the guaranteed savings intact.

Which IPMVP option is often used to verify retro-commissioning savings that interact across multiple systems in a building?

Answer: Option C – whole facility utility meter analysis

RCx measures interact across systems, so whole-building metered analysis (often with regression) captures the combined effect.

In a commissioning issues log, what is the main purpose of tracking each deficiency through to closure?

Answer: To document that each problem was resolved and verified before acceptance

The issues log records each deficiency, who is responsible, the corrective action, and verified resolution for accountability.