Seasonal commissioning can mean different things to different clients, from ensuring design criteria are still being met and retuning after system works, to interpreting how a new or existing user experiences the services in the hope of improving their experience, or reduce energy consumption. Carrying out surveys in different seasonal conditions allow the building to be tested when required to provide higher levels of heating and cooling, and also assess the middle condition when mild weather may require a combination of the two.
A specialist system may need more tuning owing to its bespoke function and sometimes precise control requirement. Post-occupation system tuning is an opportunity to further refine the system to suit the client’s requirements.
Experience has shown that approaching seasonal commissioning and building tuning from two directions has been beneficial to both building users and owners. These are:
Services led approach:
System checks and measurements can show if system physical or BMS settings have become lost, or components have failed. We carry out targeted checks to identify and report deviations from specified values. Where issues are found, the cause and effect can be investigated, and the system rectified and re-adjusted to agreed values.
Occupant led approach:
By speaking to building users to understand how they interact with and what they require from their building, we identify gaps between occupant expectation and building delivery. This gap can sometimes be due to something minor which may not have fallen into a particular discipline, so has not been addressed. By looking at building performance in an ‘occupant first’ direction, opportunities to realise improvements within the provided services can be identified and addressed.
Often some simple but managed adjustments, made in consultation with the required specialists, can have profoundly beneficial outcomes for the occupants, reduce system energy use, and protect system condition. Any system alterations will be communicated to the building user and relevant contractors. We can assist with updating of the Building User Guide, Building Log Book, and Operation and Maintenance Manual, all of which are intended as live documents for ongoing reference.