Post-occupancy building commissioning
The intent of this program is to provide the building owner and/or operator with the opportunity to optimize the building’s systems, leveraging the features built into their design, to reduce energy use. The program facilitates meeting the owner’s energy use and operational goals. It also provides training and resources, so the owner and operator may effectively and efficiently operate and maintain their building.
For a summary of this program, you can view or download our Post-Occ Overview.
How do you know this program is for you?
- The building is in the design phase or just beginning occupancy
- Building is or will be managed by automated controls
- The complexity of the building’s HVAC is greater than single zone systems
- The building staff is committed to implementing identified opportunities
Participating in PSE's Post-Occ Cx program, you may receive some or all of the following:
- The Facility Guide provides owners and operators with information about the building systems so they can understand and operate them efficiently and meet the facility energy use goals.
- Training ensures the operators understand the key elements that affect energy efficiency in the building and how to maintain and fine‐tune the building systems into the future.
- The Post Occupancy Cx Investigation Report focuses on specific systems selected for optimization that will provide the most energy savings.
- Investigation Details and/or the Cx Report shall document the Functional Tests and procedures performed during Commissioning.
Post-occ commissioning (Cx) incentive
The incentive for this program is intended to cover a majority of the post occupancy commissioning costs. The incentive cap is the Cx provider’s fees for commissioning energy related systems, but cannot exceed the amount shown in the table below (example of non‐energy related systems: fire alarm and security).
All PSE (E&G or E Only) |
PSE E SERVICE ONLY (OTHER GAS) |
PSE G SERVICE ONLY (OTHER ELECTRIC) |
|
---|---|---|---|
Incentive Rate | $0.35/ sq. ft | $0.25/sq. ft | $0.15/sq. ft |
Maximum Incentive | Up to 75 percent of combined total of: provider's fee, cost of operational improvement(s), and/or energy efficiency upgrade(s) |
For more information on other new construction programs visit our commercial new construction grants page.
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How to participate
Application — Submit an application for preapproval and upon receipt, PSE will provide the Cx check lists and requirements to the customer, design team, and commissioning provider prior to the kickoff meeting.
Kickoff — PSE will meet with customer/design team to answer any questions regarding the project, program, and incentive.
Implement — The Cx provider will complete the process and send PSE necessary checklists and Cx Plans for review, including trend data for energy efficiency measures and building optimization, SOO, schedules, etc.
Payment — PSE will conduct a site visit to verify implemented measures and will complete a final review of documentation for the submitted project including invoices provided prior to payment.
Post-occupancy commissioning
For post-occupancy commissioning, your program must be developed and tracked using the following forms:
- Post-occupancy commissioning plan
- Operations and maintenance (O&M) staff training time tracker
- Energy efficiency improvement measure summary
- Facility guide table of contents (for Cx agent use)
- Training plan table of contents (for Cx agent use)
For post-occupancy commissioning, system and energy details may be submitted using the following forms:
- Air handler unit (AHU), remote terminal unit (RTU), air conditioning (A/C), fan coil unit (FCU) and/or high-performance HVAC
- Boiler plant
- Chiller plant
- Domestic hot water (DHW) plant
- Energy data
- Envelope
- Exhaust fan
- Heat exchanger
- Lighting
- Radiant heating/cooling
- Variable air volume (VAV) boxes
- Template for different/additional system(s)
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How to qualify providers
All of PSE's commissioning programs require a minimum level of experience in addition to a high-level understanding of building energy using systems. Successful providers also have strong interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to investigate, implement, and verify energy efficiency opportunities. In addition to these qualifications, there are different tiers of experience required as the complexity increases for each program. The different tiers are outlined below:
EBCx* Post-Occ MBCx Tune-up Tier 1 x x x x Tier 2 x x x Tier 3 x x Tier 4 x *Submissions and review required unless preapproved by PSE
PSE approves individuals rather than companies as providers at each tier. To qualify, individuals need to meet the minimum requirements listed below and therefore have the majority of the necessary skills and experiences. Eligible providers must lead the projects, but other company resources may be used to support the qualified individual.
Tier 4
Experience Requirements
- Minimum of three (3) years of commissioning experience
- One (1) or more certification(s) listed below
- Worked on at least three (3) projects of similar size, scope, and complexity
- Developed and performed Function Performance (FPT) tests and procedures to ensure persistence of recommendations
- Conducted inspection of equipment and controls, including sequences
- Estimated and calculated energy savings for recommendations
- Developed and delivered the following:
- Commissioning Plan
- Final commissioning report
- Facility operator training
- Facility guide/system manual
- On-going commissioning plans
- Current facility or owner's project requirements
- Energy analysis both pre and post-commissioning
To get approval for an individual you wish to implement the post-occupancy commissioning program, contact PSE at commissioning@pse.com.
We advise PSE customers to select the provider for their project based on qualifications, especially as they relate to your particular needs, building and systems. Please feel free to contact PSE for any questions about the program at 1-800-562-1482.
Approved Professional Certification CERTIFICATION CERTIFIED/LICENSED BY WEBSITE Professional Engineer (PE) Washington State Department of Licensing http://leg.wa.gov Building Operator Certification (BOC) Level II Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) www.theboc.info Certified Energy Manager Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) www.aeecenter.org Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP) Building Commissioning Certification Board (BCCB) www.bcxa.org Commissioning Authority (CxA) AABC Commissioning Group (ACG) www.commissioning.org Existing Building Commissioning Professional (EBCP) Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) www.aeecenter.org

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