TAB Journal - Automating Functional Performance Testing of HVAC
The acceptance phase of any commissioning effort, which is centered around functional performance testing, typically represents the largest chunk of time commitment budgeted by the commissioning provider. It is also arguably the most important part of successful project delivery. In fact, the AABC Commissioning Group (ACG) says in their guidance to owner’s, “Functional performance testing (FPT) of equipment and systems is at the heart of the commissioning process.” Today, powerful analytics software is being used to automate this testing, improve outcomes for the owner, and lower overall testing costs.
Get Good BAS Data
As a commissioning provider, you are essentially blind in evaluating modern HVAC performance if you do not have access to trend data from the control system (aka building automation system, or BAS). In this article, we’ll review the traditional approach to obtaining this data (the old way) then introduce a better way (the new way).
The Old Way
In new construction commissioning projects where an HVAC control system exists, it’s a common requirement for the BAS contractor to furnish a substantial volume of trend data for the commissioning provider’s review. It’s also usually required for certain trends to be configured and stored within the BAS front-end user interface for review whenever you want.
That’s the old way, and it rarely happens the way you want it to. Here’s why, then we’ll discuss the new way…
Trend Data from the BAS Contractor: If you are lucky enough to get trend data for your commissioning project, it often comes as a huge set of *.csv files. You then have to spend hours reviewing data points one by one and plotting graphs to make sense of it. The BAS contractor also spent time creating these for you this one time, distracting them from completing their work in the first place.
Trend Data within the BAS Front-End User Interface: Most completed BAS projects have a nice front-end user interface with floor plan and equipment graphics overlayed with live data point streams. Operators will rely on this to manage the facility. A handful of points are also set up as trends where data values are collected and stored over time for later review.
The first problem for commissioning providers is that this graphical user interface is one of the last things that gets completed within the BAS contractor’s normal scope of work. This is usually too late for being of any value for the commissioning provider, coming after the bulk of functional testing has already been scheduled for completion.
But if you’re lucky enough to see the BAS user interface set up prior to testing, the next issue you run into is that the owner’s IT network is not yet set up, so there’s no easy way for you to access the user interface. And without the network set up yet, there’s certainly no way for you to access the trend data remotely. Again, the commissioning provider is handicapped.
Ok, let’s say you miraculously gain remote access to the full BAS front-end prior to testing (not sure this ever happens). The next issue you run into is that the trend data is limited, and the visualization tools within the BAS front-end are clunky and slow. Normally you get maybe 5 key data points for an HVAC device, collected and stored in 15- or 30-minute intervals.
Most control systems make it fairly easy to review one point at a time, but it can be tricky to overlay multiple points in the same view. In order to properly evaluate equipment performance, you really need more like 10-15 data points for each piece of equipment, and a collection interval every 5 minutes or better on any sensor or modulating data point.
The New Way
Take control of your destiny. Don’t handicap your ability to properly evaluate HVAC performance by flying blind. Establish your own remote connection to the BAS network and collect the trend data yourself! It’s called Connected Commissioning.
Plug a cellular-enabled gateway into the BAS network (no need to worry about someone else’s internet connection) and get as much or as little trend data as you want, as much or as little automated testing, as much or as little fault detection, on anything connected to the BAS.
With a good cellular modem and router, you can establish a remote connection the BAS network when you normally go on site for a TAB verification site visit. No need to wait for the owner’s IT to connect the BAS network to the internet. No need to wait for the BAS contractor to set up trend collection and provide access to the front-end user interface. Instead, you get your trend data independent of the BAS contractor.
There are a number of technologies available in the market to collect, store and visualize time-series trend data. Considering that almost every modern HVAC control system uses BACnet as it’s communication protocol, you do not even need any proprietary software to get the data.
Turn-Key Trend Data Collection and Visualization
At OTTO, we make it even easier for commissioning providers to access good BAS data. With the $290/month OTTO Data Plan, you get your own cellular-enabled edge gateway (by Tosibox) that you can move from project to project as desired.
As part of the service, OTTO will set up the point mapping and trending within SkySpark (by SkyFoundry), the industry’s best trend-data visualization and analytics software, for you to access via any web browser whenever you want. The Data Plan includes a 75% discount if you want to upgrade to use OTTO’s Automated Functional Testing services or expand beyond the normal 2000-point trend data capacity. Cellular service is included.
Use the Data Plan on any type of commissioning project or energy service, not just for new construction. OTTO can connect to any BACnet or Tridium Niagara BAS.
LEARN MORE HERE...
Nights and Weekends Are Open for Testing
Time for testing! Start-Up and TAB are complete, now it’s time for the commissioning provider and BAS contractor to schedule functional testing. After many months of pre-design, design, and construction activities, it’s FINALLY time to fulfill one of the most important roles of the commissioning process.
Now What? Logistics! Time to coordinate on-site testing with the BAS contractor. Who else? Well, all those stakeholders that usually participate in construction meetings… the mechanical contractor, the general contractor, and the owner. What about fire alarm testing? Maybe the electrical contractor hasn’t finished and will occasionally cut power while they’re working. Has the schedule already slipped? So much so that people have already moved in? Did you have vacation coming up?
Now, you are under pressure to stay out the way. Other stakeholders would rather you and the BAS contractor do your testing at night or over the weekend. With Connected Commissioning and Automated Functional Testing, now you can. Automated testing can be scheduled to run HVAC equipment through rigorous testing protocols whenever you want, day or night.
New Patient Tower Opens More Than a Month Ahead of Schedule
The holiday season was here. Snow was on the ground in Erie, Pennsylvania. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s new Patient Care Tower was buzzing with construction activities. This was December 2020! We were in the middle of the Third Wave of COVID-19 cases, with infection numbers already nearly three times as many as the Second Wave and rising. This project was bringing on 64 more intensive care beds, so the construction team was pressured to finish ahead of schedule to accommodate the surge.
Electrical had fallen behind schedule and a new contractor had stepped in. Power was intermittent throughout the day. The more than 220 VAV terminal units with hydronic heat were otherwise ready for functional testing. John Dombrowski, PE, Associate Principal, Commissioning Discipline Lead at Mazzetti, didn’t need to worry. Using OTTO’s Automated Functional Testing service, Mr. Dombrowski was able to schedule multiple rounds of testing, and re-testing, whenever he wanted. So, as part of multiple nights and weekends of automated testing, OTTO worked the night shift on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s. No complaints, no fuss, no worries.
School is Starting, Get out of the Way!
Outside of Seattle, WA, the Renton School District expected to open two elementary schools as normal for the 2021-2022 school year. The HVAC upgrades that had been installed over the summer were in operation but had not yet been commissioned through functional testing. Shane Doig, Commissioning Manager at Säzän Environmental Services, was now forced to conduct functional testing without disrupting students and faculty. Nights, weekends, and holidays are open for testing, however!
No worries for Mr. Doig, who enlisted OTTO to run a series of rigorous tests against 70 water-source heat pumps outside of normal school hours. OTTO forced the units into various occupied and unoccupied modes, including airside economizer control, multi-stage heating and cooling modes, demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) with CO2 sensors, and setback control with occupancy sensors. Oh, and morning warm-up, which happens in the wee hours between 3am and 6am, needed to be observed too.
OTTO got to work, watching the units perform all night long, undisturbed, to witness the effectiveness of the morning warmup sequence. Later that afternoon, at 4:00pm, pre-determined overrides activated a series of rigorous HVAC performance tests until 8:30pm. Mr. Doig reviewed the results from the comfort of his office, relayed and discussed issues with the BAS contractor via email and teleconference, then rescheduled re-testing whenever he wanted to.
ASHRAE Hard at Work in New Headquarters
Just outside of Atlanta, GA, ASHRAE had gone through a multi-year effort to secure, design and renovate a new global headquarters. Sustainability was a part of every decision, where mechanical systems consisted of radiant cooling and heating ceiling panels, integrated with variable speed ceiling fans, a dedicated outdoor air system, and occupancy controls. Darren Draper, PE, Principal, Director of Commissioning at the Epsten Group, was involved as the commissioning provider throughout this major effort.
Mr. Draper decided to give Automated Functional Testing a try. Similar to many other projects, the owner had already moved in while there were still many closeout activities ongoing. Over 70 individual radiant zones needed to be tested. Forcing radiant panels into various heating and cooling modes would be disruptive to the people in the building trying to work. Instead, OTTO simply ran through a customized 10-hour testing protocol on the weekend. One batch of tests even ran on Martin Luther King Jr. Day while the office was officially closed. Mr. Draper and his team did not need to be there, nor did the contractor.
Connected Cx and Automated Functional Testing
Plug a cellular-enabled gateway into the BAS network (no on-site internet required) and get as much or as little trend data as you want, as much or as little automated testing, as much or as little fault detection, on anything connected to the BAS.
NEW!!! OTTO Data Plan for $290/Month
Make it standard practice to independently collect and visualize high quality trend data on any project with a BAS. Choose how many OTTO Gateways you want to keep on hand to match your project load. Hook them up during your TAB verification site visit and leave it connected as long as you want. Move from project to project as needed.
Use on any type of commissioning or energy service, for new construction or existing building applications – OTTO connects to any BACnet or Tridium Niagara BAS.
LEARN MORE HERE...
OTTO User Explains Automated Testing in Project Haystack's Connections Magazine Jan/2022
"Automated Functional Testing Has Arrived and Yes It Works" - Written by Darren Draper, PE, CxA, LEED AP, Principal at the Epsten Group. Published in the January 2022 issue of Project Haystack's Connections magazine, pages 42-46. This is a nice read from a long-time user of OTTO's connected commissioning and automated testing services. In it, Mr. Draper discusses how automated functional testing, along with the high quality trend data that accompanies it, enables his team of Cx professionals to deliver a better service to their clients, while also saving time.
Read it at Project Haystack (pages 42-46)...
Connected Cx: Be Everywhere at Once
How many pieces of equipment can you watch at once during functional testing of HVAC equipment? The truthful answer is just ONE. Multitasking doesn’t exist. It’s impossible to simultaneously perform multiple tasks at once. Instead, our brain constantly switches between tasks, to the detriment of productivity (see more on multitasking here).
Ok sure, we can override a few systems at once and take turns looking at the BAS graphics for each, but you still only see and process one set of data at a time, often for just a short period of time. This has downsides.
Alternatively, you could deliberately focus on one piece of equipment at a time, as is common in critical facilities, but labor hours skyrocket.
Commissioning guidelines support the idea of striking a balance between the owner’s budget and project requirements, so there are many ways to optimize your scope. Many projects even utilize “sampling”. On high-volume equipment like terminal equipment (VAV’s, FPU’s, FCU’s, etc), it is common to set a sample size at 20-30% of repetitive equipment.
Multitasking still comes into play. Many providers will break this sample of equipment into even smaller groups, for batch testing, thus diluting their attention even further. Naturally, many real problems will instead be discovered later by the owner’s operations team, or worse, rent-paying tenants.
With modern HVAC analytics technology, you can have a computer test EVERYTHING for you, at a fraction of the cost - Connected Cx! Make it run active test scripts (i.e., deliberate BAS overrides) at night or on the weekend, staying out of the way of contractors still feverishly working during the day (OR new occupants having already moved in!). Independently collect trend data on everything 24/7 during the testing and close-out phase of your project. Tell the computer what to flag for review, so that you can focus your expertise ($$$) on things that require your attention.
Construction Realities Make Testing Even Harder
Is the HVAC control system accessible during the functional testing phase of commissioning? Are the graphics ready? Is trend collection and storage in place? The answer to these questions should be YES!
The unfortunate reality is that many things are going on at once in any construction project. Commissioning providers are often under pressure to begin testing HVAC equipment prior to the BAS being ready or accessible. Internet to the site may not be connected yet. The owner’s networking scope may be on a different schedule (really!?!?). All these things make it harder to verify proper equipment operation, but the show must go on.
Connected Cx solves these problems by establishing a secure remote connection to the BAS network utilizing an independent data collection and analytics platform, one that is under the direct control of the commissioning provider.
OTTO Can Hook You Up with Connected Cx
Plug a cellular-enabled OTTO gateway into the BAS network (no on-site internet required) and get as much or as little trend data as you want, as much or as little automated testing, as much or as little fault detection, on anything connected to the BAS.
How Much Does It Cost?
Start with turn-key trend data collection, cloud storage and visualization of HVAC data points for just a penny a day! Automatically test terminal units for as low as $16 each, including re-testing!
That’s less than 10 minutes of your billable rate, to run a terminal unit through a robust and deliberate 6+ hour test protocol.
Schedule a Demo and See How It Works
Sample No More – CxEnergy2022
CxEnergy 2022 is coming up in April and will be here before you know it! Our own Derek McGarry, PE, LEED AP will be making the case for 100% testing of terminal units. OTTO will also be supporting the conference as an exhibitor. Register now at www.CxEnergy.com and use Promo Code ENERGY10 for a 10% Discount at Checkout.
Sample No More – How Automated Functional Testing Enables 100% Testing
Too many commissioning projects include only a small percentage of terminal units and other zone-level equipment in their functional testing scope, commonly called “sampling.” The unfortunate reality is that most post-occupancy issues associated with zone-level devices are random, not systemic (per IFMA). Owners are left dealing with these headaches during the first year of operation, with a negative ripple effect throughout the project team.
Functional testing can instead be automated and easily extended to all zones. Commissioning providers can deploy technology to automatically collect trend data, automatically execute control system overrides, and automatically answer functional questions. Apply the same process to dozens, hundreds or even thousands of terminal units in a fraction of the time it would normally take and see things in the data you wouldn’t normally see in person.
This session will explore how commissioning providers use automated functional testing to improve project outcomes for both the owner and themselves. Specific examples from a variety of projects will be used to demonstrate how automated functional testing can lower testing costs and deliver better results.
Commissioning: Expecting Different Results This Time?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” – Some wrongly attribute this to Einstein
HVAC testing by a Commissioning (Cx) Provider is supposed to be a final validation of what the contractors have already done. The successful installation, quality control and pre-testing efforts by the HVAC and Controls Contractor just needs to be double-checked. Start-up has been “completed”, point-to-point on the BAS is “done”, test-and-balance is “approved”, everything is in “auto”. The contractor sometimes even formally asserts that the systems are now ready for validation!
Let’s not kid ourselves, you know how this story goes, and you probably routinely include extra fee to cover such a “contingency” … how many times have you arrived on site for functional testing and things just don’t work the way you and everyone else had hoped? This is not supposed to happen, but it does. All. The. Time.
It can be satisfying to help solve problems for the owner. In fact, commissioning wouldn’t be a service if things always worked out great. The reality is that “issues” take time, under the pressure of an already stressful project timeline, driving costs up and sometimes leaving problems unresolved. How can we do better and speed up the process at the same time?
Connected Commissioning Changes the Game.
Connected Commissioning is growing in popularity amongst commissioning providers, and for good reason. We’re not sure who coined the term (perhaps this ASHRAE article from 2016?), but it nicely captures the essence of marrying technology with commissioning.
The goals of connected commissioning are fairly straightforward, which were nicely articulated in this presentation on Smart Commissioning at the Building Commissioning Association’s Conference way back in 2015: Reduce issue correction time, run functional tests simultaneously, improve data flow and Cx quality… and Everything Gets Tested!
With Connected Commissioning, you can access live trend data on every BAS-connected piece of equipment, independent of the contractor. Watch in real-time how systems are operating. Is the chiller plant active? Are air handlers running yet? Are the terminal units even on the network yet?
Put some fault detection rules in place to automatically detect problems or better yet, transform your previously manual functional test script into an automated test that you can run as many times as you want (OTTO’s President spoke on Automated Functional Performance Testing is a Thing at AABC Commissioning Group’s Annual CxEnergy Conference this past spring).
Many questions are easily, and FACTUALLY, answered through data.
Owner’s Perspective.
It makes sense that commissioning providers would want to leverage technology to provide a better service and save time, but what does the owner think? Kaiser Permanente recently discussed their nationwide standards for Connected Commissioning at the Building Commissioning Association’s International Conference (Connected Cx: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). For those who are skeptical, they make a strong case, made even stronger because they now only hire commissioning providers who use such tools. (Here is a free viewable recording of a similar presentation at the BCxA Northwest Chapter meeting in May)
OTTO Can Hook You Up.
How Does It Work? Plug a cellular-enabled OTTO gateway into the BAS network (no on-site internet required) and get as much or as little trend data as you want, as much or as little automated testing, as much or as little fault detection, on anything connected to the BAS.
How Much Does It Cost? Start with turn-key trend data collection, cloud storage and visualization of HVAC data points for just a penny a day!
Start a Project with OTTO
BACnet Journal - Automated Commissioning
Derek McGarry, PE, LEED AP, President of OTTO, discussed how BACnet enables Automated Functional Performance Testing. Look for “BACnet Streamlines Commissioning HVAC Systems”, in BACnet International Journal, Spring 2021.
Read full article here, on page 13.
CxEnergy 2021 Virtual Session Highlights Automated Functional Testing
In addition to discussing the commissioning of Suntrust (now Truist) Park, Darren Draper of The Epsten Group will share some early insights on automated functional performance testing. Available as part of AABC Commissioning Group's (ACG) CxEnergy conference lineup in April, 2021 - Watch it Here.