Comparative review of building commissioning regulation: a quality perspective

Building regulations are an important policy instrument available to governments wishing to improve building energy efficiency, which should be a priority to policy-makers wishing to target cost-effective avenues in support of carbon-abatement targets. Meanwhile, building system commissioning has been recognized as a cost-effective measure to cut energy consumption, but in practice commissioning quality can deliver less-than-satisfactory outcomes. Regulation needs to better support commissioning outcomes. A five-grade commissioning scale is developed to assess the quality of commissioning and propose a common language to assist with regulation setting. Using this scale, building regulation and polices related to new and refurbished building commissioning were analysed in comparative case studies between jurisdictions England and California. This study finds that Californian regulations mandate a higher quality of commissioning and regulations that are more enforceable. The crucial elements to support better-commissioned buildings were identified as: outputs-focused regulation (not input based); regulation and process clarity; commissioning agents and building official training; as well as acknowledging the financial burden of upholding more complex building regulations. For the full benefit of commissioning to be realized, policy and regulations for existing buildings will be required.