The Importance of Proper Commissioning in New Commercial Buildings
You’ve spent months—maybe years—planning, designing, and constructing your Southwest commercial property.
The finish line is finally in sight, whether it’s a sleek retail storefront in Phoenix, a sprawling distribution center in Las Vegas, or a high-rise office in Greater Los Angeles.
However, before you cut the ribbon and welcome tenants, you need to take one more critical step that may determine the long-term success of your entire investment: HVAC commissioning.
At our Carrier Commercial Cooling Center, we act as the bridge between commercial property owners and the specialized Carrier Factory Authorized Dealers who keep the Southwest running. Through our website, we connect businesses with commercial HVAC teams in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas that can properly commission new heating and cooling systems.
What Is HVAC Commissioning?
Commissioning, performed in new and existing buildings, is a quality assurance process that verifies that an HVAC system is designed, installed, and performing according to the owner’s project requirements and the engineer’s design intent.
After installing an HVAC system in a commercial building, a team of Carrier HVAC experts will put your new equipment through its paces by performing a series of tests to ensure that every sensor, damper, thermostat, and chiller is communicating correctly with other components and performing as planned.
If the system does not perform as expected during commissioning, the team can address issues and adjust the equipment to improve functionality and energy efficiency.
Why Is HVAC Commissioning Essential?
More than 70 percent of respondents to a 2018 survey by The Building Commissioning Association (BCxA) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) said commissioning was necessary for business success.
A system that isn’t commissioned might heat and cool simultaneously, or its fans may spin at 100 percent when 20 percent suffices. In high-cost energy states, these inefficiencies can lead to thousands of dollars in wasted utility costs in the first year alone.
Commissioning ensures that airflow is balanced so that one office isn’t too cold while another feels like a sauna.
When a system is calibrated correctly, it doesn’t wear as quickly as an uncommissioned unit. Commissioning prevents short-cycling and excessive vibration, ensuring you get the full 15 to 20 years out of your equipment rather than facing a premature replacement at 10 years.
Do All Commercial Systems Need Commissioning?
A common misconception is that commissioning is only for equipment in massive or complex buildings, but HVAC commissioning is essential for all newly constructed buildings.
Commissioning HVAC in Small Buildings
Commissioning might focus on simple thermostat calibration, refrigerant charges, and ensuring the rooftop units (RTUs) are cycling correctly. However, even a small 5,000-square-foot building can suffer catastrophic mold issues or structural damage if the HVAC system isn’t commissioned to properly handle latent heat and moisture.
Commissioning HVAC in Large Buildings
The process is more intense, involving Building Automation Systems (BAS), chilled water loops, and emergency backup integration.
Does the Business Type Matter in HVAC Commissioning?
The building’s mission can dictate the commissioning focus. For example, the HVAC needs of a warehouse in El Paso are vastly different from those of a surgical center in San Diego.
Commissioning in a retail or hospitality space may place greater emphasis on comfort zoning and rapid response. When a busy space, like a restaurant kitchen, feels overheated, the system needs to ramp up cooling without freezing the customers.
In an industrial or warehouse setting, commissioning ensures that exhaust fans remove fumes or heat effectively and that the building maintains the correct pressure.
HVAC commissioning in a data center or lab involves rigorous stress testing. It will determine, for example, if backup kicks in within seconds of a cooling tower failing. If it does not, the experts can address the problem and adjust the system. In this case, commissioning isn’t just about comfort; it’s about preventing hardware failure.
What Happens if You Skip HVAC Commissioning
If you forego commissioning, you risk:
Comfort Complaints: Tenants may leave and lease space elsewhere if the building is uncomfortable. Customers may complain or simply patronize a competitor.
Voided Warranties: Many manufacturers will honor equipment warranties only with proof of professional startup and commissioning.
Costly Repairs: It is significantly more expensive to fix a ductwork leak and other issues once the ceilings are closed and the tenants have moved in.
Choose a Carrier Dealer for HVAC Commissioning
Commercial Cooling Center is your premier resource for navigating the complex world of commercial HVAC. We connect property owners and developers across Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas to a network of factory-authorized Carrier dealers specializing in commissioning.
Find a commercial Carrier dealer with expertise in commissioning through our online directory. Click our dealer link to get started.