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History of Commissioning

1977

  • Public Works Canada begins to use Cx in its project delivery system

1981

  • Disney includes Cx in the design, construction and start-up of Expo Center

1984

  • University of Wisconsin, Madison begins to offer Cx courses
  • ASHRAE HVAC Commissioning Guideline Committee formed

1988

  • Texas LoanStar Program applies monitoring and existing building Cx
  • ASHRAE publishes HVAC Commissioning Guideline

1989

  • ASHRAE national convention includes Cx presentation
  • Montgomery County, Maryland institutes Cx program
  • University of Michigan establishes facilities evaluation and Cx group
  • First edition of BPA 's Building Commissioning Guidelines published

1991

  • Electric utilities begin to require Cx on energy installations
  • BPA tests Commissioning Guideline on Energy Edge building in Portland, OR

1992

  • BPA publishes Building Commissioning Guidelines, Second Edition
  • BPA and PECI convene Cx Roundtables
  • U.S. GSA develops HVAC Functional Inspection & Testing Guide

1993

  • Pacific Energy Center offers its first course on Cx
  • NEBB develops Cx provider certification program
  • National Grid (formerly NEES) offers a Cx guide to commercial customers
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers develops Cx guide specification
  • University of Washington begins to require Cx and develops Cx guide specification
  • 1st NCBC hosted by SMUD

1994

  • LADWP launches Cx program
  • Public Works Canada publishes Project Commissioning Manual
  • Executive Order 12902 requires a Cx program for federal agencies
  • Florida Design Initiative introduces eDesign Online to compliment Florida Department of Management Services Cx program
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers develops HVAC Commissioning Procedures
  • ASHRAE Cx series offered via Professional Development Seminars
  • ACEEE Summer Study devotes a full panel of presentations to Cx and O&M
  • LBNL focus on building performance assurance through metrics, Cx and operations
  • SMUD offers incentives to owners who develop Cx plans
  • SCE initiates the Cx Research Study Demonstration
  • 2nd NCBC: Hosted by Florida Design Initiative

1995

  • ENERGY STAR® Building Partnership Program includes Cx
  • AIA magazine, Architectural Record publishes article on Cx
  • U.S. EPA & DOE conduct Cx demonstrations of five existing buildings
  • U.S. GSA publishes Building Commissioning Guide, Version 1
  • U.S. GSA & Facility Operations Divisions initiates Cx program
  • Detroit Edison one-day Cx conference draws more than 300 attendees
  • NW Commissioning Collaborative sponsors regional conference
  • State of Washington requires Cx
  • APPA publishes Cx manual and provides training
  • 3rd NCBC: Hosted by Energy Center of Wisconsin

1996

  • ASHRAE publishes Guideline 1-1996: The HVAC Commissioning Process
  • U.S. GSA & FEMP fund development of Model Commissioning Guideline and Specification
  • EPRI conducts market study of firms providing Cx services
  • International Measurement & Verification Protocols recommends Cx in all projects (NREL)
  • U.S. DOE /FEMP conducts Cx workshop for federal agency project managers
  • NW Commissioning Collaborative holds 2nd conference and publishes provider directory
  • U.S. GSA & FEMP conduct existing building demonstration in Seattle, WA
  • State of Tennessee begins existing building Cx program for state buildings
  • 4th NCBC: Hosted by Florida Design Initiative

1997

  • U.S. DOE /FEMP publishes Model Commissioning Plan and Guide Specifications
  • Sprint commissions World Headquarters in Kansas
  • Sandia National Laboratories issues Cx specification
  • E Source Tech updates Commissioning Existing Buildings
  • Cx articles begin to be published in trade press on a regular basis
  • NEEA conducts Commissioning Baseline and Market Research Study
  • Oregon Office of Energy's Commissioning Toolkit becomes available online
  • Federal RCx demonstration projects are conducted in the Northwest
  • AIA sponsors Cx workshop at Client Connection Conference
  • 5th NCBC: Hosted by Southern California Edison

1998

  • U.S. DOE Sponsors National Strategy for Building Commissioning
  • BCA incorporated as a not-for-profit trade association
  • USGBC LEED® criteria includes Cx
  • Energy Star® Benchmarking Tool and Building Label create new opportunities for Cx
  • Washington State Board of Education recommends matching funds for Cx of K-12 schools
  • U.S. DOE /FEMP proposes Cx to be art of federal building renovations
  • U.S. GSA announces Comprehensive Building Commissioning Program
  • U.S. DOE Rebuild America publishes Cx guide
  • MasterSpec begins to integrate Cx specifications
  • NEEA funds Commissioning Public buildings Program
  • Cx workshop at AIA National Convention
  • Seattle Energy Code incorporates Cx for HVAC and lighting controls
  • ACEEE/CEE conduct existing building Cx workshop
  • NIBS conducts workshop on whole building Cx
  • U.S. GSA Building Commissioning Guide becomes Interagency Guide for Federal Buildings
  • Cx session at ASHRAE Winter Meeting draws more than 300 attendees
  • Portland General Electric offers Retrofit Commissioning Program
  • Public Works Canada revises and expands its Project Commissioning Manual to define basic and enhanced Cx for various projects types
  • U.S. DOE produces a film on Cx with Sandia National Labs and holds a simulcast workshop for DOE sites
  • 6th NCBC: Hosted by Florida Design Initiative

1999

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory publishes Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings
  • State of Tennessee begins New Construction Commissioning Initiative
  • U.S. GSA conducts a Cx demonstration at its Advanced Workplace Lab
  • LBNL hosts diagnostician workshop
  • SMUD offers RCx program
  • ASERTTI Cx training curriculum is used in seven state workshops
  • State of Washington adopts Seattle Cx code requirements
  • ComEd launches Maintenance Operations and Repairs Program (MORES) which includes RCx, and begins offering Cx as one of its Advisory Services
  • 1st Annual Benner Award presented to Charles Dorgan
  • 7th NCBC: Hosted by Portland General Electric

2000

  • PG&E publishes California Commissioning Market Characterizations Study
  • CCC established as an ad-hoc group to promote Cx in California
  • PIER High Performance Commercial Building Systems Program includes integrated Cx diagnostics
  • PG&E begins to incorporate Cx into Savings by Design Program
  • NYSERDA funds Cx market transformation program
  • ARTI launches research into automated Cx activities
  • PG&E pilots program for energy efficiency upgrades and RCx of long-term care facilities
  • BCA develops technical training
  • ASERTTI develops technical training
  • GPU Energy holds Cx workshops
  • Xcel Energy launches recommissioning program for customers in Colorado and Minnesota
  • 2nd Annual Benner Award presented to Carl N. Lawson
  • 8th NCBC: Hosted by Sprint World Headquarters Cx Team

2001

  • CERL produces Commissionpedia CD-ROM
  • Massachusetts code incorporates aspects of Cx
  • First International Conference on Enhanced Building Operation held in Austin, TX
  • CEC considers incorporating performance verification into California Energy Code
  • USGBC begins work on Existing Building Guideline to include Cx
  • SDG&E funds RCx pilot study
  • PIER project investigates persistence of Cx
  • Systems commissioning is included in Washington State Energy Code
  • State of Hawaii Energy Code includes requirements for systems commissioning
  • 3rd Annual Benner Award presented to Karl Stum
  • 9th NCBC: Hosted by GPU Energy

2002

  • PIER Program funds development of Functional Testing Guide
  • AABC publishes the AABC Commissioning Guideline
  • Energy Design Resources publishes online energy design tools and resources
  • AABC launches Cx certification program
  • NYSERDA publishes Cx guideline
  • FEMP publishes Continuous Commissioning Guidebook for Federal Managers
  • 4th Annual Benner Awards presented to Rick Casault and Emory University
  • 10th NCBC: Hosted by ComEd

2003

  • SDG&E offers RCx program
  • PG&E publishes Commissioning Test Protocol Library
  • CCC develops online library of Cx-related research, articles, brochures and white papers
  • 5th Annual Benner Award presented to ASHRAE
  • 11th NCBC: Hosted by Southern California Edison

2004

  • CCC incorporates as a non-profit organization
  • MBCx Program launched by UC/CSU/IOU Partnership
  • California Governor's Executive Order S-20-04 includes Cx
  • BCA launches certification program
  • LBNL releases The Cost-Effectiveness of Commissioning, a national study of commissioning costs and benefits
  • USGBC introduces LEED®-EB and includes a prerequisite for retrocommissioning
  • 6th Annual Benner Award presented to Chad Dorgan
  • 12th NCBC: Hosted by Emory University

2005

  • California's Energy Efficiency Standards include acceptance testing requirements for non-residential new construction
  • ASHRAE publishes Guideline 0-2005: The Commissioning Process
  • AABC Commissioning Group (ACG) holds 1st Annual Meeting
  • ASHRAE begins development of Guideline 1.2: The Commissioning Process for Existing HVAC&R Systems
  • Connecticut Light and Power Company initiates RCx pilot program
  • NEMI publishes a national study of market potential for new building commissioning
  • 7th Annual Benner Award presented to Paul Tseng and NYSERDA
  • 13th NCBC: Hosted by NYSERDA

2006

  • California utilities roll out large-scale RCx programs
  • CCC publishes Commissioning Guides for New and Existing Buildings
  • California DGS publishes In-House Commissioning Toolkit for Small Buildings
  • PIER publishes Specifications Guide for Performance Monitoring Systems
  • PIER publishes online Functional Testing and Design Guides
  • ASHRAE announces plans for a certification program for Cx and integrated building design
  • ASHRAE Sustainability Roadmap sets organization-wide agenda to lead the advancement of sustainable building design and operations
  • 8th Annual Benner Awards presented to Mary Ann Piette and USGBC's LEED® Green Building Rating System™
  • 14th NCBC: Hosted by Pacific Gas & Electric Company

2007

  • North Carolina includes commissioning in a bill to increase energy efficiency in state buildings
  • Massachusetts' LEED® -based energy efficiency standards for state buildings require third-party commissioning for projects greater than 20,000 square feet
  • CCC publishes RCx Toolkit—Templates and Sample Documents
  • PECI develops A Retrocommissioning Guide for Owners with funding from the EPA ENERGY STAR® Program
  • BCA membership increases more than 30% over 2006 membership
  • 9th Annual Benner Awards presented to Dan Turner and BCA
  • 15th NCBC: Hosted by ComEd and Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation

2008

  • CCC expands RCx Toolkit— Spreadsheet Tools
  • USGBC restructures LEED®-EB as LEED® for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, allowing up to 4-points for RCx and 2-points for ongoing commissioning
  • ComEd launches large-scale commercial building RCx and retrofit initiative
  • 10th Annual Benner Awards presented to Michael English and CCC
  • 16th NCBC: Hosted by Southern California Edison

2009

  • 11th Annual Benner Awards presented to Don Frey
  • 17th NCBC: Hosted by BetterBricks

2010