Since 2009 New York City has required commercial buildings larger than 50,000 ft2 to be retro-commissioned or ‘tuned-up’ every ten years based on the premise that a commissioned building is a more energy efficient building.
That’s true, a commissioned building is more efficient, but there is a lot more ‘value’ when looking at the big picture.
Commissioning, specifically ongoing commissioning, has far more benefit to the commercial building owner than just energy savings. Take for instance this real estate developer who owns and operates multiple building in and around New York City. Many commercial leases are structured as ‘double-net‘ meaning the building owner is responsible for all maintenance costs associated with operating the building. In this arrangement it is important for the building owner to have a grasp on the condition of the equipment along with the state of the building automation system (BAS) – Are the control sequences and schedules up to date? Are all of the equipment actuators working properly? Also, is the BAS adequately protected from cyber attack?
Additionally, ongoing commissioning can help increase a building’s EnergyStar score, provide space condition (temperature & humidity) verification in cases of tenant complaints and improve comfort levels. It can also be used as a tool to keep facility operators and outside contractors honest by using data to confirm that problems are actually getting fixed. But most importantly for this owner, the Analytika solution provided key support documentation in the seller’s Pro-Forma when he went to sell the buildings. According to the owner, he received an approximate 10%–15% premium on his expected closing prices by just having the ‘concrete proof’ that the building equipment was operating efficiently.
It’s not always about the energy savings.
Dean Taylor – CEM, Director of Analytics
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