BREEAM & LEED Compliance

We’re committed to making sure that all our buildings are energy efficient, looking beyond the standard requirements and being pro-active in our approach. That’s why we implement both BREEAM and LEED compliance as the best environmental assessment methods for our clients.

BREEAM

Our commissioning specialists use BREEAM compliance to ensure that building services commissioning is carried out in a co-ordinated and comprehensive manner, achieving the optimum performance of buildings under occupancy conditions.

Part L Building Regulations aim to improve the performance of buildings through better commissioning, with the aim of achieving BREEAM credits.

There are two BREEAM Credits available in terms of commissioning:

First Credit

We will appoint a dedicated team to your project to monitor and programme pre-commissioning, commissioning and, where necessary, re-commissioning. Commissioning is carried out in-line with current Building Regulations and BSRIA and CIBSE guidelines, where applicable.

The main contractor accounts for the commissioning programme, responsibilities and criteria within the main programme of works.

A specialist commissioning manager is appointed (by either client or contractor) for complex systems such as:

• Air conditioning
• Mechanical ventilation, displacement ventilation, complex passive ventilation
• Building management systems (BMS)
• Renewable energy sources
• Microbiological safety cabinets and fume cupboards
• Cold storage enclosures and refrigeration plant

The specialist commissioning manager must have been appointed during the design stage and the scope of their responsibility includes:

• Design input: commissionability design reviews
• Commissioning management input to construction programming
• Commissioning management input during installation stages
• Management of commissioning, performance testing and handover/post handover stages

Where BMS specified, the following commissioning procedures must be carried out:

1. Commissioning of air and water systems is carried out when all control devices are installed, wired and functional
2. In addition to air and water flow results, commissioning results include physical measurements of room temperatures, off coil temperatures and other key parameters as appropriate
3. The BMS/controls installation should be running in auto with satisfactory internal conditions prior to handover
4. All BMS schematics and graphics (if BMS is present) are fully installed and functional to user interface before handover
5. The occupier will be fully trained in the operation of the system

Second Credit

1. The first credit has been achieved.
2. The above appointment(s) include the following seasonal commissioning responsibilities over a minimum of 12 month period, once the building becomes occupied:

Complex Systems – Specialist Commissioning Manager

1. Testing of all building services under full load conditions, i.e. heating equipment in mid-winter, cooling/ventilation equipment in mid-summer, and under part load conditions (spring/autumn)
2. Where applicable, testing should also be carried out during periods of extreme (high or low) occupancy
3. Interviews with building occupants (where they are affected by the complex services) to identify problems or concerns regarding the effectiveness of the systems
4. Re-commissioning of systems (following any work needed to serve revised loads), and incorporating any revisions in operating procedures into the O&M manuals

As Commissioning specialists, we offer activities to benchmark performance against data recorded at practical completion.

Once a building is occupied, internal environmental conditions may differ from those anticipated at the design stage, and seasonal commissioning of the building allows the building services engineering systems to be evaluated to provide optimum conditions under actual seasonal weather/occupancy conditions.

LEED

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification program focused primarily on new, commercial-building projects and based upon a points system. The more points you earn, the higher your rating.

It covers all building types and all building phases including new construction, interior fit outs, operations and maintenance and core and shell.

Most common construction standards are:

• BD+C – Building Design and Construction (New construction and Core & Shell)
• ID+C – Interior Design and Construction (Commercial Interiors)
• O+M Building Operations and Maintenance (Existing buildings)

Commissioning Authority (CxA)

Acting as the Commissioning Authority (CxA) our role is to act as the Independent LEED Commissioning Engineer for the purpose of witnessing and reporting on the setting to work, reviewing, pre-commissioning, commissioning, proving, acceptance, verification, monitoring, functional testing and performance testing of the installed building services systems, plant and equipment as required by USGBC LEED V4.

The LEED element works are split into two sections of work and our role covers the following:

EA Prerequisite 1 – Fundamental Commissioning of Building Energy Systems

“To support the design, construction, and eventual operation of a project that meets the owner’s project requirements for energy, water, indoor environmental quality and durability”

Scope:

• Review the Owners Project Requirements (OPR)
• Review the Basis of Design (BOD)
• Review the project design
• Develop and implement a Cx plan
• Confirm incorporation of Cx requirements in the construction documents
• Develop construction checklists
• Develop a system test procedure
• Verify system test execution
• Maintain an issues and benefits log throughout the Cx process
• Prepare a final Cx process report
• Document all findings and recommendations and report directly to the owner throughout the process

EA Credit 1 – Enhanced Commissioning

“To further support the design, construction and eventual operation of a project that meets the owners project requirements for energy, water, indoor environmental quality and durability”

Option 1. Enhanced Commissioning

Projects must complete the following commissioning process (CxP) activities for mechanical, electrical, domestic hot water, and renewable energy systems and assemblies in accordance with ASHRAE Guideline 0–2005 and ASHRAE Guideline 1.1–2007 (or from our experience we know local standards such as CIBSE are accepted by the US GBC) for HVAC&R systems, as they relate to energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and durability.

• Review contractor submittals.
• Include systems manual requirements in construction documents.
• Include operator and occupant training requirements in construction documents.
• Verify systems manual updates and delivery.
• Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness.
• Verify seasonal testing.
• Review building operations 10 months after substantial
• Recheck comments raised to ensure they have been cleared

• Review commissioning related contractor submittals
• Development systems manual
• Verify completion for training operating personnel and building occupants
• Review the operating space with O&M staff and occupants within 8 – 10 months after completion. Review and plan any outstanding commissioning related issues

 

Option 2. Monitoring-Based Commissioning

Achieve Option 1

Develop monitoring-based procedures and identify points to be measured and evaluated to assess performance of energy- and water-consuming systems.

Include the procedures and measurement points in the commissioning plan. Address the following:

• roles and responsibilities;
• measurement requirements (meters, points, metering systems, data access);
• the points to be tracked, with frequency and duration for trend monitoring;
• the limits of acceptable values for tracked points and metered values (where appropriate, predictive algorithms may be used to compare ideal values with actual values);
• the elements used to evaluate performance, including conflict between systems, out-of-sequence operation of systems components, and energy and water usage profiles;
• an action plan for identifying and correcting operational errors and deficiencies;
• training to prevent errors;
• planning for repairs needed to maintain performance;
• the frequency of analyses in the first year of occupancy (at least quarterly);
• Update the systems manual with any modifications or new settings and give the reason for any modifications from the original design.

The CxA shall also liaise with the Consultant Engineer, Management Contractor and all other Works Contractors to co-ordinate, review, programme, witness, report writing, certification of all commissioning correlated activities to ensure the full automatic operation and integration of all installed energy related systems.