Facility Commissioning Group offers building envelope commissioning and diagnostic services utilizing national standards and guidelines:

   NIBS Guideline 3-2006: Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements
     for the Commissioning Process

NIBS Guideline 3 Exterior Enclosures Commissioning is a defined quality assurance process for verifying proper installation of systems separating the interior environment from the outdoor environment, including exterior walls, fenestration, doors, windows, roofing, roof openings, below grade perimeter walls and the slab-on-grade or crawlspace.  This verification process is carried out during construction to assure compliance by installers with the design intent.  This owner advocacy service benefits the project by providing a third party consultant to review the building documents and observe and document construction methods and specified testing requirements that assure the building design and installation satisfies to the owner’s project requirements.

  ISO 6781-1983: Thermal Insulation - Qualitative Detection of   
    Thermal Irregularities in Building Envelopes - Infrared Method

ISO 6781-1983 is a standardized Thermographic examination for detecting thermal irregularities in the building envelope.  This test is often applied after other techniques determine excessive building air leakage.  The benefit to the owner for this testing involves defining where there are building construction issues   that require closer physical examination and construction mitigation efforts, as well as establishing a baseline for evaluating mitigation work.

   ASTM C 1060 - Standard Practice for Thermographic Inspection
     of Insulation Installations in Envelope Cavities of Frame Buildings

   ASTM E 779 - Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate
     by Fan Pressurization

ASTME E-779 (2003) is a standardized test method for measuring air-leakage rates through a building envelope under controlled pressurization and depressurization using fans, either permanent equipment, portable blowers, or a combination of fans.  The methodology allows for a mathematical characterization of exterior enclosure leakage rates to evaluate the constructed sealed condition.  Air infiltration and/or exfiltration of conditioned space accounts for a significant portion of the thermal space conditioning load.  The benefits to the building owner are confirmation of good construction standard of exterior enclosures, HVAC energy savings, a cleaner environment for the occupants and reduced introduction of outside pollutants, moisture, and drafts caused by undetected envelope air leakage.

   ASTM E 1677 - Standard Specification for an Air Barrier Material
     or System for Low-Rise Framed Building Walls

   ASTM E 1827 - Standard Test Methods for Determining
     Airtightness of Buildings

   ASTM E 2178 - Standard Test Method for Air Permeance of
     Building Materials

   NISTIR 7238 - Investigation of the Impact of Commercial Building
     Envelope Airtightness on the HVAC Energy Use (2005)