Institute of Architects, U.S. Department
of Energy, U.S. Green Building Council).
Increase the efforts of building designers
to train building operators on proper
control strategies consistent with the
design intent and develop a certification
program for high- performance building
operations and maintenance.
Prepare an integrated building design
manual for high-performance buildings
focusing on operations and maintenance.
Enhance the Commissioning Guidelines 0
and 1 to include high-performance building
operations and maintenance procedures.
Conduct research and development to
enhance the effectiveness of operations
and maintenance procedures (tied to
measurability).
Potentially label buildings based on energy
performance similar to what the European
Union is doing to promote conservation.
Increase the number of research projects
dedicated to these operating principles
(eight existing projects plus nine proposed
projects) and strategic plan goals including
Special Project 123 – Building Energy
Benchmarks for Std 90.1 and Special
Project 115 – Performance Measurement
Protocols.
Promote the use of the new Standard
180 – Standard Practice for Inspection
and Maintenance of Commercial Building
HVAC systems.
Promote the use of the online Service Life
& Maintenance Cost Database that TC
7. 8 Owning and Operating Costs developed
from a research project. This database
No matter how green the
building is designed, system
performance is in the hands
of operators who may not
‘drive’ the building per the
design’s intended roadmap.
will assist designers and building operators
in establishing benchmarks for operations
and maintenance for not only the life
expectancy of equipment, but also maintenance costs for better lifecycle cost
analyses. (The database can be found at
http://xp20.ashrae.org/publicdatabase/.)
As this list of President Harrison’s directives shows, he is not only focusing on building design and having better tools, but he
also is putting a great deal of emphasis on
building operations and maintenance as
well as training. This recognizes that no
matter how green the building is designed,
system performance is in the hands of
operators who may not ‘drive’ the building
per the design’s intended roadmap.
So it seems that to maintain a green
building’s performance, the design community
should train the operators better and furnish
them with the tools they need to keep the
building within the green spectrum. Furthermore, since the systems are getting more
high-tech to achieve the greatest degree
of efficiency, it cannot be business as usual.
Facility managers and operators need to
participate in the building’s design and
commissioning phases if they are to understand the intended operation and the
rationale behind system design.
In an industry where I learn something
new just about every day, it is clear that
there is no hair dye or magic tonic to change
a building’s performance from what might
be a murky shade of gray to a bright shade
of green. Not to be trite and sound like a
line from My Fair Lady (or My Fair Building),
but we all must continue to train in order
to maintain and sustain!
Based in Madison, Wis.,
Steve Tredinnick, PE, is
vice president of energy serv-
ices for Syska Hennessy Group,
which has more than 23
locations across the U.S. He
has more than 25 years’
experience related to build-
ing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
systems. The past 14 years of his work have
been focused on district energy systems.
Tredinnick is a graduate of Pennsylvania State
University with a degree in architectural engi-
neering. He is a member of IDEA and
ASHRAE and is currently immediate past chair
of ASHRAE TC 6. 2 District Energy. Tredinnick
currently serves on IDEA’s board of directors.
He may be reached at stredinnick@syska.com.
Column and previous columns available at
www.districtenergy.org/de_magazine.htm
On a Brief Hiatus
IDEA’s 100th anniversary year will culminate in Washington, D.C., at the 100th Annual Conference &
Trade Show, replete with a black-tie optional gala dinner at the National Building Museum.
To make the event even more special, we’ll be honoring past System of the Year and Norman R. Taylor award
winners for their contributions to our organization and our industry. As a result, we will not be holding our
annual System of the Year Award competition in 2009. But the competition will resume for 2010, so start
thinking about preparing your entries for what will likely be a lively competition!
We also will not be naming a 2009 Norman R. Taylor award winner, but will resume that practice in 2010.
It is a revered tradition that began more than 20 years ago, and we look forward to honoring the next
recipient at the 101st Annual Conference & Trade Show.
