Most HVAC projects for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings require commissioning. It is specified in contracts, required for LEED certification, and mandated by building codes on certain project types.
Yet commissioning is one of the most misunderstood processes in building construction. This page explains what commissioning actually involves, why each stage matters, and who needs to understand the process.
Why Commissioning Matters
The system actually delivers what the design specified: right airflows, temperatures, pressures, and sequences under all conditions.
Correctly commissioned systems use significantly less energy than systems with undetected control faults or improper balancing.
HVAC problems that generate post-occupancy complaints are often the result of issues commissioning would have caught.
Contractors face fewer post-occupancy service calls on systems that have been properly commissioned.
Documentation provides a baseline against which future performance can be compared.
Fundamental commissioning is a mandatory prerequisite for all LEED certification levels.
The Stages of Commissioning: What Most People Don't Know
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1Program and Pre-Design Phase
The commissioning process begins with the development of the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) - a document that defines exactly what the building and its systems must achieve: comfort criteria, energy targets, operational requirements, maintainability expectations, and sustainability goals.
At this stage, commissioning establishes the performance baseline against which every subsequent stage will be measured. Systems commissioned only at the end have no agreed-upon baseline to verify against.
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2Design Phase Commissioning
The commissioning authority reviews design documents to verify the design meets the OPR - equipment selections, sequences of operation, control strategies, and testing and balancing specifications.
Design review catches problems when they are still on paper - the cheapest possible time to correct them. A sequence of operation that will not work as written is far less expensive to fix in a design review than after the controls contractor has programmed it.
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3Construction Phase Commissioning
During construction, the commissioning process includes:
- Pre-functional testing: verifying equipment is installed correctly before startup (orientation, clearances, access, connections)
- Startup verification: confirming equipment starts and operates without fault
- Functional performance testing: testing systems under actual operating conditions including sequences of operation, safety interlocks, and control responses
- Testing and balancing: verifying airflows, water flows, and system pressures match design values
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4Acceptance Phase Commissioning
At the end of construction, the commissioning authority produces a final commissioning report documenting all functional performance test results. Systems that pass are accepted. Systems with deficiencies are documented and tracked to resolution before occupancy.
The acceptance phase also includes training building operators on the systems they will maintain and operate.
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5Post-Acceptance Commissioning
Commissioning does not end at handover. Post-acceptance commissioning - typically carried out 10 to 12 months after occupancy, once the building has experienced a full seasonal cycle - verifies that systems continue to perform as designed under real occupancy conditions.
Seasonal issues (systems that perform adequately in cooling season but fail in heating season) are only visible in post-acceptance commissioning. Buildings that skip this stage often discover seasonal problems through occupant complaints rather than systematic verification.
What the Course Covers
The Commissioning of HVAC Systems course covers the complete commissioning process for all-air, all-water, and air-water HVAC systems, including testing and balancing procedures and the planning, execution, and documentation requirements for each stage.
- Structure and main components of all-air, all-water, and air-water HVAC systems
- Testing and balancing of HVAC systems
- The commissioning process: scope, roles, and responsibilities
- Program and pre-design phase commissioning
- Design phase commissioning
- Construction phase commissioning
- Acceptance phase commissioning
- Post-acceptance commissioning
- Case studies on commissioning and troubleshooting
Attendees leave with a complete understanding of the commissioning process from start to finish - able to plan, execute, document, and verify commissioning at each stage.
Who Faces This Challenge
- Mechanical engineers and designers who must specify commissioning requirements, develop sequences of operation, and support the commissioning authority during design review
- Commissioning engineers and agents who manage and execute the commissioning process on behalf of building owners
- Mechanical contractors who must prepare systems for functional performance testing and respond to commissioning deficiencies
- Facility managers and building operators who receive commissioned systems at handover and must understand the documentation, training, and post-acceptance requirements
- Project managers and owners who need to understand what commissioning involves in order to specify it, budget for it, and verify it is being done correctly
- Engineers on LEED projects for whom fundamental commissioning is a mandatory prerequisite
"Topics were very well explained. I was able to understand concepts even though I have no previous experience with HVAC systems. There was ample time for discussion."
"Registered to push the company into a different field of operation. The instructor's in-depth knowledge of the subject was the best part."
"Registered to increase the team's knowledge of HVAC fundamentals and testing procedures."
Frequently Asked Questions
Testing and balancing (TAB) is one component of the commissioning process. TAB verifies that airflows, water flows, and system pressures match design values. Commissioning is broader: it verifies that the entire system - equipment, distribution, controls, and sequences of operation - performs as the design intended under all operating conditions. TAB is necessary but not sufficient for a commissioned system.
Commissioning should begin during the pre-design phase, with the development of the Owner's Project Requirements. The later commissioning is introduced into a project, the less value it delivers. Commissioning introduced at startup catches problems after they are installed - the most expensive time to correct them.
For certain building types and sizes, commissioning is mandated by the National Building Code and provincial codes. For LEED projects, fundamental commissioning is a prerequisite for all certification levels. Many institutional owners - school boards, hospitals, universities - require commissioning on all capital projects regardless of code requirements.
The OPR defines what the building and its systems must achieve: comfort criteria, energy targets, reliability requirements, operational constraints, and sustainability goals. The Basis of Design document prepared by the designer demonstrates how the design meets the OPR. Together they form the performance baseline against which commissioning verifies.
Deficiencies identified during functional performance testing are documented in a commissioning issues log. The responsible party - typically the contractor, controls contractor, or designer depending on the nature of the deficiency - must resolve the issue and retest. Acceptance is not granted until all deficiencies are resolved or formally deferred with an agreed-upon resolution plan.
Yes. The Commissioning of HVAC Systems course provides 17 formal CPD hours, all qualifying as core engineering learning toward PEO PEAK requirements. It is PEO PEAK compliant.
Commissioning of HVAC Systems
3 days · 17 CPD Hours · PEO PEAK compliant · $1,495 per attendee
Group discount: 10% off per attendee for three or more participants from the same organization.
