flexiblefullpage

HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

Menu View Full Menu
Subscribe Here
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Calculating the ROI of building enclosure commissioning

Calculating the ROI of building enclosure commissioning

A researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory calls building enclosure commissioning “the single-most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today.”

By C.C. Sullivan | June 28, 2013
Continue Reading
According to Evan Mills, PhD, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, building enclosure commissioning, or BECx, should be viewed as “the single-most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today.”
 
(This article excerpted from BD+C's June 2013 AIA/CES course on cladding and exterior insulation. Take this free course at BD+C University.)
 
Mills studied the benefits of BECx, noting that commissioning only costs about $1.16/sf for new construction and $0.30/sf for existing buildings on average, with a payback period of as little as 14 months. Savings associated with using BECx from both maintenance and energy savings average about 16% for existing buildings and 13% for new construction. The main benefit is that whole-building energy savings are guaranteed, thanks to the pivotal role of the enclosure in determining efficiency performance.
 
“Further enhancing the value of commissioning, its non-energy benefits surpass those of most other energy-management practices,” including major first-cost savings through right-sizing of HVAC equipment, Mills has testified. “When accounting for these benefits, the net median commissioning project cost was reduced by 49% on average, while in many cases they exceeded the direct value of the energy savings.”
 
The National Institute of Building Sciences published its NIBS Guideline 3-2012 on enclosure commissioning last year. The U.S. Green Building Council has allowed the application of BECx to earn an innovation credit in the LEED rating system, and BECx was even considered as a prerequisite, but that proposal lost momentum, says Rob Kistler, AIA, NCARB, Committee Chair for NIBS Guideline 3 and Principal, The Facade Group.
 
It appears that LEED v4 will not explicitly encourage the detail review, onsite testing, and observation that some enclosure experts say is what makes BECx effective, notes Tristan Roberts, with BuildingGreen’s LEEDUser service. Instead, the new LEED draft language directly quotes NIBS Guideline 3, which describes the following techniques as part of proper BECx for enhanced building commissioning:
•  Devise a plan early in the project cycle that describes testing requirements, acceptance criteria, and documentation.
•  Review details in the construction documentation to check for overall performance, continuity of weather barriers and insulation, and constructability.
•  Conduct observations on the job site as required for critical milestones in enclosure installation, from field mockups to trades startup to field testing.
•  Use mockups to benchmark workmanship requirements and ensure compliance with specifications and manufacturer’s installation requirements.
 
The NIBS committee for BECx, which Altenhofen serves on, recommends including a consulting enclosure expert for the building project, especially in the construction administration phase. The expert will help ensure proposed cladding materials and systems are integrated properly into the design process, followed by visual observations of a statistical sampling of installation of work. Toward the end of the CA phase and before acceptance, a blower-door test will check whether the air infiltration levels are equal to or better than standard.
 
As noted in the summary of NIBS Guideline 3, BECx helps reduce the chances that inadequate cladding work will be discovered during the punch list phase: “The performance of the enclosure cannot be verified until the entire building is completely enclosed. At this time it is not possible to tune or dial in the performance. To access a nonperforming subsystem or assembly might be very expensive.”
 
(This article excerpted from BD+C's June 2013 AIA/CES course on cladding and exterior insulation. Take this free course at BD+C University.)

Tags

Related Stories

| Sep 17, 2013

AIA sees uptick in architecture billings for August

AIA's Architecture Billings Index was 53.8 in August, up from 52.7 the previous month, signaling increased demand for design services nationwide. The West and Northeast regions saw the biggest ABI gains last month. 

| Sep 16, 2013

Does brainstorming work?

The idea-generating process known as brainstorming has come under some intense fire recently. Critics contend that it suspends much-needed criticism and conflict while suppressing the creative ideas of introverts.

| Sep 16, 2013

Forty-three percent of energy leaders will invest more in efficiency next year (infographic)

Forty-three percent of energy leaders say their investment in energy efficiency next year is projected to be more than it was last year, according to survey results released today by Schneider Electric. Twenty-two percent said their projected investment would stay the same, and 10 percent reported their investment would be less than last year.

| Sep 16, 2013

Forty-three percent of energy leaders will invest more in efficiency next year (infographic)

 Forty-three percent of energy leaders say their investment in energy efficiency next year is projected to be more than it was last year, according to survey results released today by Schneider Electric. Twenty-two percent said their projected investment would stay the same, and 10 percent reported their investment would be less than last year.

Multifamily and single-family residential construction are driving growth in con
| Sep 16, 2013

Construction spending hits four-year high in July: AGC report

Total construction spending hit a four-year high in July as private residential and nonresidential activity increased while public spending declined, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged lawmakers in Washington to make infrastructure investment a top federal priority before funding runs out at the end of September.

Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, recently completed a nine-month transforma
| Sep 13, 2013

Loews Hotels & Resorts announces major cross-portfolio upgrades

Loews Hotels & Resorts is currently in the midst of a major growth and property redesign initiative, reflecting a strong national trend in hospitality renovation. 

| Sep 13, 2013

Video: Arup offers tour of world's first algae-powered building

Dubbed BIQ house, the building features a bright green façade consisting of hollow glass panels filled with algae and water.

| Sep 11, 2013

Inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Expo & Conference draws attendees from 27 states

More than 500 attendees from 27 states attended the inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Conference, held September 9-11, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. 

medical office building
| Sep 10, 2013

The new medical office building: 7 things to know about today’s outpatient clinic

Regulatory pressures, economic constraints, and emerging technologies are transforming healthcare. Learn how Building Teams are responding with efficient, appealing, boundary-blurring outpatient buildings. 

| Sep 6, 2013

Public Architecture's Day Labor Station: Just the type of 'great idea' we're looking for in the $5,000 Vision U40 competition

Thinking about competing in BD+C's Vision U40 program at next month's U40 Leadership Summit? Here's a good example of the kind of "great idea" we're looking for. 

boombox1
boombox2

Top Articles

native1

More In Category

Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.

Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021