Commissioning authority (CxA) "How often does it operate in this condition?"
The first step is to work with a
commissioning authority (CxA)--this is not an in-house investigation you perform during spare moments.
As part of the LEED certification process the owner must designate an individual independent of the project's design and construction management as the
commissioning authority ("CxA") to lead, review and oversee the completion of the commissioning process, in order to insure that the goals of reduced energy use, lower operating costs and improved occupant productivity have been met.
And while the
commissioning authority and design team can help the owner develop the project requirements, the building owner must take the lead in creating and completing the OPR document.
The process of achieving a particular LEED rating is a team effort involving the owner, a LEED accredited professional, the architect and its consulting engineers, the contractor or construction manager and a
commissioning authority. (A
commissioning authority verifies that the building's energy related systems are installed, calibrated and perform according to the design and construction documents.) Each member of the project team shares some degree of responsibility for earning the LEED credits necessary to achieve certification.
Include the
commissioning authority on project correspondence related to commissioned systems including supplementary information and changes.
The New York Times Company sponsored a one day UFAD summit to gather the parties of the design and construction teams, as well as the
commissioning authority. Researchers from the Center for the Built (CBE) were retained to develop testing tools and protocols, including a mobile UFAD commissioning cart for the UFAD system.
The Design Intent or Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design documents help the
commissioning authority to properly review a set of plans and understand what is being built and why and how the space is going to be utilized.
The
commissioning authority should be selected during the design phase.