New guidance on commissioning services in new homes

May 16, 2019

The NHBC Foundation today publishes a guide that helps site managers oversee the many commissioning activities that are important to a smooth build programme and delivering high quality homes for home buyers.

At your services – What to expect during commissioning – produced in collaboration with BSRIA, is a response to the ever-expanding family of services from solar-technologies to whole-house ventilation systems that means that site managers will see an increasing range of commissioning activities on their sites, often of a highly technical nature.

While commissioning must be carried out by specialists and competent installers, this new guide fills an important gap, helping site managers to engage more closely with the commissioning process and to ask the right questions at the right time.

In a foreword to the new guide Neil Jefferson, NHBC’s Chief Operating Officer, says: “The reality is that many site managers today feel distant from the commissioning checks and balances that are so crucial.”

He adds: “Commissioning in general has become much more technical and exacting, with processes and language which are not easy for non-specialists to understand. This is not good for the success of commissioning which ultimately depends on good understanding between the site manager and commissioning experts involved.”

The NHBC Foundation guide gives special attention to explaining the reasons for the various commissioning activities and how they contribute to long-term trouble-free operation. It covers the following types of services:

  • Water and drainage
  • Gas connection and distribution
  • Electrical installations
  • Boiler – gas supply and correct operation
  • Underfloor heating pipe loops and manifolds
  • Unvented, indirect hot water cylinders
  • Ventilation systems
  • Air source (air to water) heat pumps
  • Solar hot water systems
  • Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems

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