Commissioning and handover for energy efficiency: Fid-Bau Portal

Commissioning and handover for energy efficiency

Malina, Mike

The role of commissioning is a key profession within the construction and built environment. Commissioning is a specialist role, process and activity, which ensures that the building performs according to the original design intent. This ensures optimal performance that meets the needs of the building's function and the comfort and expectation of the building's occupants. Commissioning management is also the process that helps deliver a building project to time and within budget, if designed appropriately and carried out. The process of verification of building services systems is a key component to completing the task of construction and ensuring a satisfactory handover to the client or end user. Once the building is in operation, the process of continuous commissioning begins to keep the building in an efficient state and should be carried out over the lifetime operation of the building. This can be likened to the MOT that is carried out on vehicles and should be treated with the same priority that has become normal practice in that area and function. Commissioning is now established in legislation and is a key part of the building regulations. In particular, a building must achieve compliance with Part L, for energy efficiency, and Part F, for ventilation, in proving functionality of building engineering services and systems.