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Building
commissioning provides documented confirmation that building
systems function according to criteria set forth in the project
documents to satisfy the owner’s operational needs.
Advanced technologies for construction management, engineering design,
and fabrication and installation are being applied to design and build
buildings and manage the construction process. It is becoming standard
for high-tech equipment, controls, and communications systems to be put
into the building to provide power, lighting, comfort, communications,
security, and life-safety protection.
In June 2008, the Building
Commissioning Association approved a comprehensive document
detailing the industry’s best practices in commissioning existing
buildings.
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Commissioning for Existing Buildings
Commissioning for existing buildings (sometimes referred
to as retrofit or retro-commissioning) is a systematic process
for investigating,
analyzing, and optimizing
the performance of building systems by
improving their operation and maintenance to ensure their continued
performance over time. This process helps make the building systems
perform interactively to meet the owner’s current facility
requirements.
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Commissioning
existing systems may require developing new functional criteria to
address the owner’s current requirements for system performance.
And some owners decide to go even further, expending the effort to make
the building perform up to a green standard by the U.S. Green
Buildings
Council’s LEED rating system. Commissioning helps ensure that new
buildings are
properly designed, constructed, and prepared for occupancy, operations,
and maintenance.
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Green Technology and HVAC
First of all we
need to define Green Technology before we compare it to HVAC and how
the HVAC industry is working to make equipment and designs green
technology friendly. Green Technology uses evolving technology to use
methods and materials to develop techniques that are friendly or
friendlier to the environment that past methods and material. It is
constantly evolving as new ideas about environmental friendly concepts
are put into place and used to make things more efficient and friendly
to the environment. It has become necessary for many people and
industries to stop ignoring environmental concerns because using older
methods cost more than the new methods to implement. The definition of
Green Technology goes a little further in implementing a solid strategy
of environmental friendly ideas, methods, and materials including
machines. These strategies include:
Sustainability – conserving
our natural resources. HVAC is a constantly evolving industry and many
manufacturers work to make their equipment more and more efficient. The
research and development budget of many of the large HVAC manufacturers
lead the way. This research is supplemented by the Department of Energy
and other large industrial manufacturers related to HVAC. For example,
ALCOA is a large producer of aluminum from raw materials and through
recycling. ALCOA has sponsored research into better heat exchangers
using aluminum materials. All these factors improve HVAC and contribute
to sustainability in Green Technology.
“Cradle to Cradle” Design
– this means designing products that can be fully reclaimed or recycled
into new products at the end of the life cycle of the product. Almost
everything in HVAC equipment can be recycled or reclaimed at the end of
its life including refrigerant used in HVAC equipment. In fact, some of
the components used in air conditioning and heating equipment have a
high recycling value at the end of its life especially the coils used
in condensers and evaporators.
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The HVAC industry
has evolved out of necessity into Green Technology simply because of
the cost of energy has risen in the last few decades to make the HVAC
industry produce more equipment that is more efficient and uses less
energy to maintain comfortable temperatures. This benefits the
environment in a big way and help protect or environment from using our
resources in a wise manner.
Source Reduction
– this means reducing waste and pollution by changing methods of
production and energy consumption in order to help conserve energy and
help the environment. In HVAC the development of smart HVAC systems is
helping Source Reduction by controlling the equipment to a more precise
degree than ever before. The HVAC industry has designed equipment and
controls for the equipment so that the equipment only uses the amount
of energy needed to meet the current demand. Using methods like staging
and equipment that can modulate its output in accordance with what is
exactly needed is saving in energy use.
Innovation
– this means developing innovations in alternate technologies that do
not harm the environment or decrease the use of fossil fuels and
chemicals that have been known to harm the environment and harm people.
The HVAC industry is constantly working on new innovations that reduce
the use of fossil fuels and harmful chemicals. The recent change in the
use of CFC refrigerants and the planned phase out of HCFC’s replacing
those refrigerants with HFC’s is a good example of this process.
Additionally the design of new gas and oil boilers and furnaces that
have maximum efficiencies contributes to this part of Green Technology.
Viability – making Green
Technology economically feasible and creating jobs and careers around
Green Technology that truly help protect the environment and our
planet. There are many people who are involved in the HVAC industry who
contribute to Green Technology. From the people who work in the
research and development labs to the people who work in inspecting and
commissioning new buildings the HVAC industry has many people employed
and contributing to Green Technology.
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