By B.C. Manion
When buildings go up too quickly, problems can result.
That’s happened quite a bit in recent years, as construction was sped up to save money, said Lou Theberge, a division manager for Southern Independent Testing Agency Inc., in Lutz.
When a project is pushed too quickly in the quest to control expenses, testing of the building’s systems sometimes gets short shrift — and costly problems develop later, Theberge said.
That’s one of the reasons why the Lutz company, which has operated in Florida for 30 years, decided to branch out and add “building commissioning” to its list of services.
Put simply, building commissioning is a systematic approach to verify that a building’s support systems have been installed properly and are performing according to the approved construction documents.
The process also ensures that the building’s installed equipment meets the owner’s intended operational, maintenance and energy efficiency needs.
The effectiveness of commissioning in reducing energy use has been documented by a number of organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Lutz company decided to branch out to offer the service because company leaders recognized the growing demand for the service and they wanted to generate more work to ensure they would not need to lay off any employees during this economic downturn, said Brian Kaupp, company vice president.
His dad, Chuck Kaupp, brought the company to Florida from Buffalo, N.Y., in 1980.
The company, which began with Chuck and his father, has a long history of testing, balancing and adjusting heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems.
It officially launched its commissioning division in October, Brian Kaupp said.
The service can help companies save money through more efficient operations and it can help them maintain a more comfortable atmosphere for their employees and customers, Chuck Kaupp said.
It boils down to making sure the systems work properly, Theberge said. It’s like testing out a dishwasher, he said. You want to make sure each cycle performs the way it is supposed to work.
“Most of the time the new buildings are under warranty for a year,” Chuck Kaupp said. So, it is in everyone’s best interest to try to avoid costly errors in the way systems are installed or operated, he said.
“You try to get in at the design phase,” Theberge said.
The idea is to reduce or eliminate the change orders required in a project, Chuck Kaupp said. “There are a lot of savings that can found with scientific testing,” he said.
Building commissioning is intended to be an objective analysis of systems to make sure they are functioning properly, Chuck Kaupp said.
“Buildings are leaky,” Brian Kaupp said. Conditioned air — whether heated or cooled — can escape through window openings, around doors and even building soffits.
“We can tell the owner the leakage rate and the energy loss,” he said.
Technicians can detect leakage by using a giant fan to suck the air out of a room and then blow smoke into the building from the outside to see where it goes.
“Smoke drifts to wherever the leakage is occurring,” Brian Kaupp explained.
Crews also can use thermal energy cameras to detect temperature differences in a room.
In some cases, both approaches are used, Brian Kaupp said.
An increasing number of building owners are seeing the value of commissioning, Chuck Kaupp said. They recognize that a system that doesn’t work properly costs them money and can reduce comfort, he said. As a result, more owners are calling for commissioning services at an earlier stage to try to prevent potential problems and reduce possible costs.
Southern Independent Testing Agency, Inc., is located at 138 A Whitaker Road in Lutz.
The company’s primary market is the southeast United States, Brian Kaupp said. At present, they are doing commissioning work at some schools in Hillsborough and Osceola counties, at a medical center in Louisiana and at a hospital in Orlando.
Chuck Kaupp mused that a lot of people at the stage he is at in his career would be winding down toward retirement.
Instead, he’s enthused about the possibilities of the family-owned company’s new division.
In this tough economic time, Chuck Kaupp said, “people who have ingenuity and guts are the people who make things happen.”
If you would like more information about the company and its services go to www.sita-tab.com or call (813) 949-1999.
