Offers opportunity to comment on proposed guideline

In light of functional changes and occupant productivity driving the need to commission existing facilities, ASHRAE has announced that it is developing a guideline that addresses the commissioning process. The guideline is now open for public input/comment from December 6 until January 20, 2014, it added.

ASHRAE gave further details: Guideline 0.2P, The Commissioning Process for Existing Systems and Assemblies, describes the procedures, methods, documentation, requirements and physical activities of the commissioning process for existing buildings, systems and assemblies using the principles developed in ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005.

“The most fundamental difference between new and existing building commissioning besides the obvious – one is new construction, one is existing – is that the function of the space may have changed substantially since it was designed,” Bill Dean, Chair of the Committee writing Guideline 0.2, said. “A great deal of the focus in the past was on energy savings being used to fund building improvements; now we are seeing functional changes and occupant productivity driving the need to commission existing facilities.”

Other commissioning guidance from ASHRAE includes Guideline 0-2005, The Commissioning Process; Guideline 1.1-2007, HVAC&R Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process; and Guideline 1.5-2012, The Commissioning Process for Smoke Control Systems; and Standard 202-2013, Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems, ASHRAE revealed.

More information on Guideline 0.2P is available at  www.ashrae.org/publicreviews, ASHRAE added.