Title 24 Commissioning

Title 24 commissioning is required on all new commercial buildings over 10,000 square feet. This requirement comes from the California Energy Code. 

Building Commissioning is the professional practice that ensures buildings are delivered according to the owner’s project requirements and in accordance with the design documents. Buildings that are properly commissioned typically have fewer change orders, tend to be more energy efficient, and have lower operation and maintenance cost.

What is most important to note is that the commissioning required by California Energy Code (Title 24) is not as extensive as some industry commissioning standards. We often see commissioning companies applying higher standards than is required by the Energy Code. While this may be beneficial on some projects, it also translates into higher costs for the owner.

In addition to the Energy Code, the California Green Building Standards Code also requires commissioning of buildings over 10,000 square feet. These separate code requirements can be combined into a single commissioning process.

At CalGreen Energy Services we limit the Title 24 and CalGreen commissioning effort to that which is specifically mandated by the codes. This helps keep our fees low, and the construction costs lower.

Our simplified commissioning process will minimize the work required by your subcontractors. The architect and building engineers will also see their workloads reduced.

 

The commissioning process includes submitting certain documents at the time of permit submittal, over-sight of submittals and change orders, and developing test procedures.

Some jurisdictions are less diligent in checking if these documents are included in the permit submittal. Sometimes the plan reviewers will make a comment on them, and sometimes they won’t.  However, you can safely assume that the building inspector will be looking for the commissioning documents and final Commissioning Report at project close-out.

It is not unusual for us to get a call from a frantic project superintendent asking for help to close out the commissioning – when none has been done! Believe it or not, this is possible and we can help with this. 

Permit Submittal

For your permit submittal you will need to provide the following Title 24 commissioning documents at permit intake:

• The Owner’s Project Requirements report.
• The Basis of Design report.
• The Commissioning Plan.

CalGreen Energy Services can author these documents and have them ready for your permit submittal. This is another area where understanding the specific requirements of the California Building Code is critical to your project. The California code requirements are less stringent than some industry standards such as the  LEED reporting requirements.

Local jurisdictions rarely review and comment on these documents. The exception may be if the building department uses third-party plan reviewers. These outside consultants frequently generate pages of comments on every section of the code. If you are unlucky enough to have a third-party reviewer on your job you will be glad you have a Title 24 commissioning specialist on your project!  

Title 24 Commissioning and the Construction Process

The basic steps of the construction process for commissioning are:

• Author functional performance testing procedures.
• Inform the construction team on the commissioning requirements.
• Review of submittals, O&M manuals, and Requests for Information (RFIs) for affected systems including testing and balancing reports.
• Author and review functional performance testing reports.
• Provide a finalized commissioning report for affected systems.

A commissioning agent must work closely and communicate well with your construction team. At CalGreen Energy Services we have been involved in the construction of everything from single family homes to billion-dollar Kaiser Hospital projects. We understand the importance of developing a positive relationship with your contractor to minimize the impact of the commissioning process.

At CalGreen Energy Services we can save you time and money on your Title 24 commissioning requirements. We are specialists in the Title 24 Energy Code.  If you have a commissioning question please feel free to give us a call. We are happy to share our knowledge.

 

For more information on the Title 24 commissioning process see the online Energy Code here:

https://up.codes/s/nonresidential-building-commissioning

For more information on the CalGreen Code visit the California Building Standards Commission website here:

DGS Building Standards Commission

For more information on the CalGreen fro commercial buildings see our informative article here:

CalGreen for Commercial Buildings

Call us today and let us show you how we can help with your project.

Gary Welch

Email: gary@calgreenenergyservices.com

Phone: 707-328-5299

CalGreen Commissioning

CalGreen Commissioning