Building commissioning as a business strategy
Sep 27, 2013
Business owners are used to thinking of buildings as assets. However, business leaders are less likely to think of those buildings as having a strategic role to play in the company’s performance or growth, because those buildings don’t tend to show up in those arenas of discussion.
This can be a mistake, because maximizing your buildings’ efficiency can have a definite impact on your company’s bottom line, and building commissioning can make a huge difference.
Take, for example, the property value of your buildings. If they perform poorly, energy-wise, they will be less valuable. The same is true of the “energy star” rating that now comes with any heating or cooling system or appliance that is installed within your buildings. While there isn’t an energy star rating system for buildings, there is the LEED rating system, which indicates how your buildings compare with other buildings on a Green Building scale. As more companies, and our culture as a whole, put increasing value on sustainability and green practices, undertaking building commissioning with LEED certification in mind can increase the value of your buildings, and thus also the “assets” listed on your company’s bottom line.
Building commissioning also reduces your company’s insurance risk. By undertaking a careful review of all energy systems within your buildings, you ensure that there are no hidden hazards waiting to ignite, such as that boiler heater that wouldn’t turn off, which we mentioned in a recent blog. Building systems are increasingly interconnected these days, and complex programming is key to both safety and efficiency. Presenting your insurance company with a completed commissioning process will help everyone rest more easily, and can even have an effect on the insurance rates for your new buildings.
