Thank you to everyone who attended our recent 360 GrEEn Screen event on Facebook Live! Our energy experts Ryan Curry and Simon Nowak discussed the benefits of retro-commissioning.
Retro-commissioning (RCx) is the adjustment of your current equipment and controls to improve the use, comfort and energy performance of your building. RCx is one of the best options in terms of capital investment because many of the measures can be improved operationally. 360 Energy Group is an expert retro-commissioning service provider. Our team has assessed over 70 million square feet and identified over $15 million in energy cost savings. As a part of our services, we can perform full building investigations, identify and diagnose building issues, quantify energy and costs savings, and assist you with the implementation of recommended measures.
If you were unable to attend our Facebook Live video, we’ve outlined a list of frequently asked questions:
How is retro-commissioning different from an energy audit?
“Well a facility assessment aims to identify capital upgrades. That’s how I differentiate it. Whereas as a retro-commissioning study is an in-depth look at your existing equipment. A lot of it has to do with your building automation system and how to optimize it to be more energy efficient,” said our Senior Program Manager, Ryan Curry.
How long does a retro-commissioning study take?
"From the engineering perspective, it takes about a year to complete a full retro-commissioning project. From the client’s perspective it usually takes a couple hours a week, mainly providing access to building information,"said our Engineering Director, Simon Nowak.
If we have a new building, is retro-commissioning necessary?
“Actually, new buildings are usually good candidates for retro-commissioning. Oftentimes the equipment in a new building is just functionally tested, and not necessarily optimized for energy efficiency. It’s a good idea to bring someone like 360 Energy Group in to do a retro-commissioning study after a building is complete," said Ryan Curry.
There’s a commissioning process that buildings are required to go through in the construction process, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that your contractor corrected those problems ideally.
Can you give examples of common retro-commissioning findings?
“Some maintenance items like missing belts or other maintenance items like dampers or actuators that aren’t functioning correctly. A lot of the standard measures that we see are scheduling, static pressure reset, other temperature resets like your supply air temperature or your hot water and chilled water temperatures. Really there’s a whole wide variety of measures that we can identify based on the types of systems in the building that we’re in,”said Simon Nowak
To get started on retro-commissioning, contact our Senior Program Manager, Ryan Curry at ryan@360eg.com or 312-267-2864.
Comments