The Commissioning Process for Existing Buildings

Are you looking to improve the performance and comfort of your buildings? Take this course to gain a focused understanding of the commissioning process, including ASHRAE Guideline 0.2, key concepts, and distinctions from new construction commissioning. Through case studies and practical activities, participants will explore all phases of the process—from planning and investigation to implementation and monitoring. The course emphasizes optimizing building automation systems and control strategies to maximize energy savings and achieve operational excellence.

Upcoming dates coming soon!

Take course number RA00752 when it’s offered next.

What You Will Learn:

Master the commissioning process (CxP) for existing buildings to optimize energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and building performance. This course equips engineers with the knowledge to develop and execute commissioning and retro-commissioning programs, while evaluating costs and benefits.

Who Should Attend:

  • Engineers, architects, and commissioning authorities working to improve the performance of existing buildings.
  • Facility managers and building operation staff responsible for energy efficiency and operational enhancements.
  • Federal project managers, contractors, and planners involved in retro-commissioning or performance-based energy contracts.

Keep Up With This Course

Course Details: RA00752

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Course Outline

Existing Building Commissioning Guidelines

  • ASHRAE Guideline 0.2
  • BCA and California Commissioning Guidelines
  • Comparison to new construction commissioning
  • Terminology and key concepts

Overview of Existing Building Commissioning

  • Historical benefits and cost
  • The EBCx team
  • The EBCx process with specific tasks and details

EBCx Process in Action with Case Studies

  • Planning phase: key drivers, prep work, and identifying opportunities
  • Investigation phase: field testing, energy analysis
  • Implementation phase: approaches and best practices

Monitoring Based Commissioning

  • What MBCx is and isn't
  • How is it different from retro-commissioning and re-commissioning?
  • Means of implementing, metrics , and tools

Optimizing Control Strategies to Maximize Commercial Building Energy Savings

  • The Building Automation System's role in energy use and energy efficiency
  • Identify the right energy saving measures to implement (hint - they are controls-based)
  • Steps to optimize energy saving control sequences (and pitfalls to avoid)

Persistence

  • Justification for a strong O&M program
  • Key elements of an effective O&M program 

Program Director & Instructors

  • Robert Austin

    Vice President, Business Unit Manager

    Robert Austin, Associate Vice President, Dewberry, holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering and has specialized in Existing Building Commissioning over his entire career. His resume includes execution and management of Existing Building Commissioning projects on a national scale, spanning nearly every vertical market sector. He is an expert in field assessments, controls troubleshooting, energy analysis, measurement and verification, and automated fault detection and diagnostics. He is a member of the Building Commissioning Association.

  • Ian McIntosh

    Program Director

    Dr. Ian McIntosh, PhD, CxM, is a program director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro). He joined the InterPro Facilities and Building Systems team in December 2020 after being a frequent lecturer and course developer for the previous 20 years. His responsibilities include teaching, directing and business development for commissioning certification courses related to project management, existing buildings, and building enclosures. He is also the owner and founder of ianTEACH LLC, which provides innovative and strategic performance-based training and coaching to engineers, architects, construction and facilities management professionals in various sectors of the national building industry.

    He is an Accredited Commissioning Process Manager (CxM) with over twenty years of dedicated experience in Total Building Commissioning (a quality process) and has managed numerous energy, commissioning, retro-commissioning, and LEED® commissioning projects throughout the nation. As a Commissioning Provider and Mechanical Engineer, Dr. McIntosh has prepared and led several Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) workshops, written and integrated numerous commissioning specifications, co-invented and implemented electronic bar-coded checklists, system manuals and tracked owner cost savings. He has also executed hands-on in-depth field work, performed functional performance testing of complex HVAC systems/subsystems and coordinated full-scale operation & maintenance (O&M) and user training programs.

    Ian holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the City College of the City University of New York (CCNY) and earned his Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Solar Energy Lab at UW-Madison. He and his wife of 18 years like to spend quality time with their four children.

  • Program Director

    Ian McIntosh

Course Administration

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Payment Options

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

  • Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
  • Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
  • You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

  • Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
  • Provide the registrations representative with:
    • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
    • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
  • You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

  • Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
  • Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
  • Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
  • You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

Course Notes

This course is one of the specialized-topic offerings designed to complement The Commissioning Process for Delivering Quality Constructed Projects course. Completion of this course, in combination with The Commissioning Process for Delivering Quality Constructed Projects, fulfills the education/training requirements of the UW Commissioning Provider certifications.

This course has been approved for 14 LU | HSW AIA credits.