Cx costs and savings

Recent studies indicate that on average the operating costs of a commissioned building range from 8% to 20% below that of a non-commissioned building. Certain available commissioning implementation tools, such as cost shared USDOE Energy Contractors, may even result in a negative capital investment cost.

Total Building Commissioning cost ranges from 0.5% to 1.5% of construction cost – according to U.S. Department of Energy’s Rebuild America Program, written by Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI). GSA’s commissioning practice is expected to cost approximately 0.5% of the construction budget.

Source: U.S. General Services Administration. For more info, read GSA's report here. Read about GSA's approach to commissioning here.


Commissioned System Commissioning Costs

• HVAC and controls 2.0% to 3.0% of total mechanical cost


• Electrical system 1.0% to 2.0% of total electrical cost


• HVAC, controls and electrical 0.5% to 1.5% of total construction cost

Source for the first two line items: Ron Wilkinson, ASHRAE Journal, Feb. 2000. Third line: PECI