Yale’s general commissioning requirements were updated and are now available to project teams. This renewed standard addresses new construction and comprehensive renovation on campus, incorporating current commissioning techniques and lessons learned from past projects to better determine systems readiness and inform turnover and closeout.
Additionally, a new standard has been issued for testing, adjusting, and balancing for HVAC systems. Revised standards were also published for general-duty valves for mechanical systems, a corresponding valve service index, and hydronic steam and electrical energy metering, along with standard details for condensate stream traps.
Division 01: General Requirements
This revised standard defines requirements for the Architect and Engineer of Record to produce comprehensive specification sections and define roles, responsibilities, terminology, and milestones that are generally aligned with LEED enhanced, envelope, and monitoring-based commissioning with analytics.
Yale’s 01 91 00 General Commissioning Requirements now include the following:
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Acceptance criteria: Incorporate into the commissioning specifications.
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Virtual bench testing: Building automation system (BAS) test simulations performed before programming logic is installed in the field.
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Analytics integration: Yale ITS network live and BAS integrated with analytics software to support the visibility of systems during construction.
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Certificate of readiness: Assertation that all work is complete prior to functional testing.
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Analytics performance validation: Two-week performance period to demonstrate the acceptance criteria.
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Certificate of completion: Following performance validation and before Yale Facilities Operations accepts the building.
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Post-acceptance phase commissioning: Continued issue resolution and optimization throughout the first year of operation.
Enhancements to these requirements are ongoing as the commissioning process will evolve through input received from the Chemistry Safety Building, Dramatic Arts Building, Osborn Memorial Laboratories, and 101 College Street projects. Commissioning requirements for limited scope projects will be developed and training and more tools will be available to support our team’s implementation of these standards.
Division 23: HVAC
These updated standards focus on steam service valve types. The revisions include removing ball valves for medium and high-pressure applications and replacing them with rated gate valves. This change is based on the observation that gate valves have a lower failure rate than ball valves with equivalent ratings. Consequently, this modification reduces maintenance costs and enhances system reliability.
The testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) for HVAC standard is new to Yale. It provides projects with acceptance criteria during the design and closeout phases. The TAB standard also establishes a testing process to verify whether installed equipment and materials meet the specified design performance. In combination with the new commissioning requirements, this standard ensures that systems operate at their maximum efficiency.
Division 33: Utilities
This update focuses on the standardization of steam and metering for all Yale campuses: central, medical, and west. The Flexim Fluxus dual channel clamp-on energy flow meter is being added to measure chilled water, condensate, and hot water, while the Veris Accelabar meter is being removed from the central science area chilled water and condensate systems.
These standards were developed through a collaboration between Yale’s Engineering and Energy Management, Facilities Operations, and Capital Program Support and Technical Services departments as well as a contracted engineer.