The Building Commissioning Association: An Industry Partnership in Market Transformation

John Doyle, Building Commissioning Association
Kent Barber, Casault Engineering, Inc.
Karl Stum and Debby Dodds, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Keywords

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, building commissioning has gained national recognition as a valuable and critical process for obtaining more energy efficient and healthful buildings. As more owners recognize the benefits of commissioning, the demand for these services should increase. In 1998, a professional organization, the Building Commissioning Association (BCA) was established with start-up funding from the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) and the support of the Northwest Commissioning Collaborative, an ad hoc group of utilities, government agencies, engineering firms and public organizations. The BCA, comprised of firms providing commissioning services and supporting organizations, is dedicated to promoting commissioning to building owners, and maintaining a high standard for commissioning services throughout the construction industry.

As an emerging professional niche, commissioning has a variety of practitioners from various trades and disciplines. This paper discusses how the players in the Northwest recognized that to transform a service market, the service must be seen as a known and consistent commodity developed in partnership with firms already active in the commercial buildings industry. An association, dedicated to providing the needed services, offers a focused forum for consistency to both providers and purchasers.

The paper provides background on the efforts of the BCA to create an industry awareness of what distinguishes effective commissioning and specifically presents the "Essential Attributes of Building Commissioning" to which BCA members agree to adhere. The paper also summarizes industry partnerships with utilities and state agencies, and describes programs and training underway to further integrate commissioning into the commercial buildings industry.