Inspections are mandatory, and passing them is one of the most important aspects of keeping a commercial development project on track. The worst-case scenario is missing an inspection or being ordered to rebuild, and these two terrible errors must be avoided in commercial development projects.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of timing HVAC system inspections correctly in California’s commercial development projects. Say that five times fast.
California’s energy code is strict – this is known, but with these simple pieces of information, it should help a developer surmount this issue and reach compliance. The alternative is not being eligible to pass code, which would be a disaster.
Hit all of your inspections
While it may seem to be phrased in a simplistic manner, hit all of your inspections! This means Be ready for each of them, time them according to the closest amount of time until completing construction, and review the systems beforehand as appropriate.
If anything is changed along the way, make sure that everyone is aware of the changes. It is very common for HVAC systems to be slightly altered from the plans during implementation, and even the smallest of changes can be enough to bring the system under compliance.
The steps prior to inspections
Before the installation is even arranged, have an energy consultant review the plans. Changes that are made around here will most likely be made to ease the feasibility of implementation. Then, there will be a material and techniques check. Many systems fail inspections because of the materials in use or the installation practices not meeting the code specific to the building in question.
During the installation, make sure that the supervisor completes all of the necessary paperwork regarding the HVAC systems. This means completing the appropriate form that for every unit that is installed, complete the form relevant to that unit. It’s dry, it’s boring, it might even be overkill – but the consequences of not doing this are that instead of 7% of the HVAC units being checked, 100% are checked. This is a increases the costs associated with reviewing and checking the systems by fifteen times.
In conclusion
Much like many things in developing, the risk of not timing an inspection correctly is that you lose from your bottom line. A poorly timed inspection has the capability of holding back a project’s schedule and budget, so be sure to understand which inspections are required, and keep on top of when to do them.