For years now, CxEnergy has been a must attend industry conference and expo for commissioning stakeholders – from owners and O&M personnel, to contractors and commissioning providers (CxP). After a brief, pandemic-driven hiatus, this year’s CxEnergy conference was back in person, and back to normal.
Or rather, toward a “New Normal” – the apropos theme of this year’s CxEnergy event. As always, there was a lot to take in at this year’s event, but one thing was abundantly clear — keeping up with the new normal will be no easy feat for CxPs in the months and years to come.
1: BECx – Pushing the Envelope (no pun intended) in Holistic Building Commissioning
One of the most talked-about topics throughout the CxEnergy event was Building Envelope Commissioning (BECx). As envelope and enclosure systems become more and more complex – and performance/efficiency standards become increasingly rigorous — the demand for BECx services has been on an upward trend as of late; and shows no signs of slowing or reversing anytime soon. For those in both new and existing building Cx, it’d be wise to assume that BECx will be included in an OPR that crosses your desk sometime soon (if it hasn’t already). As is true of all Cx projects, BECx benefits when providers take a holistic view– including the building, its enclosure, and their respective components, materials, and interdependencies.
2: New York Sets the Standard for Real-Time Energy Monitoring
New York State has long been one of the most proactive regulatory environments in the entire U.S., and not only in the realm of Cx. Though some may groan at the notion of overactive government bodies, history has proven time and again that New York’s regulators are more trendsetters than outliers. With the success of New York’s new “Real-Time Energy Management” program, stakeholders across the country would be wise to prepare for similar initiatives to take hold on their home turf. The program incentivized over 600 cloud-based energy analytics deployments in commercial and multi-unit buildings, and the results were undeniable, with improvements consistently outweighing costs. For the Cx world, that of course means another layer of complexity and interdependencies to account for on the road to operational readiness.
3: Reconsidering Indoor Air Quality in a Post-Pandemic World
Over the past two years, the Coronavirus epidemic has fundamentally reshaped the way we think about indoor spaces and the air we breathe. COVID-19’s airborne nature of transmission has put a spotlight on indoor air quality (IAQ), and new technologies are at the ready to bring a whole new level of visibility to IAQ. Real-time IAQ monitoring, public-facing user interfaces, and more are all gaining traction as new standards for the air we breathe indoors. CxPs should be prepared to meet these new measures, and be ready with the documentation to prove it.
4: Progress on the Path to Net-Zero Emissions
While the push for cleaner, more energy efficient buildings is anything but new, this year’s CxEnergy conference made clear that the bar for owners, contractors, and CxPs alike has been raised to new heights. As standards become more rigorous, so do expectations around documentation, visibility, and the processes that go into maintaining compliance. Stakeholders across the spectrum should ensure they have the tools they need to meet these standards, without becoming mired in inefficiencies, caught in communication-breakdowns, or buried in reams of paperwork.
Facility Grid Helps You Keep Up With Cx’s New Normal
One of my favorite things about the CxEnergy conference is the opportunity to meet CxPs and other stakeholders from around the world. Listening to their stories from the field gives Facility Grid new insights into the challenges they face and the solutions they need. Each year, we come back from CxEnergy eager to develop new tools, features, and functionality; as well as improve upon the existing ones. It’s these connections that have allowed Facility Grid to keep one step ahead of both innovation and regulation, to ensure stakeholders across the spectrum are equipped to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of commissioning.
