Cx Associates is proud to be working with BETA Technologies in support of their sustainability goals and growing business in developing zero-emissions electric aircraft. Our services are divided into three distinct scopes of work: quality assurance/quality control for the ground source heat pump bore field, building systems and envelope commissioning for the newly constructed aircraft assembly facility and we are acting as the owner’s technical representative to develop and finalize the HVAC controls design in collaboration with the design and construction teams. By providing these services, we are confident that the entire project will operate efficiently, effectively, and sustainably for years to come. The facility is projected to be complete by November 2023.

For the bore field work, Cx Associates is providing quality assurance/quality control for an extensive ground source heat pump system. Working in collaboration with construction manager PC Construction, we’re overseeing the installation of 256 individual 400-foot-deep wells. Cx Associates developed the final layout of the field, and our team inspects and documents the entire installation and startup of the system, including all wells, underground piping, associated trenching and fill for piping, manifold vault, and thermal conductivity testing and pressure testing. In addition, Cx Associates will verify the  extensive and precise as-built documentation for each part of the ground source heat pump system. Our process will result in a system that will likely have a longer lifespan with less system issues and failures. 

For the aircraft assembly construction project, Cx Associates is responsible for completing MEP and building envelope commissioning for the new 188,500 SF high bay facility, which includes aircraft assembly space, as well as office and operational spaces. The facility is designed to support the manufacturing and assembly of BETA's first all-electric aircraft, ALIA, and will operate without fossil fuels. Our design review process resulted in over 100 design comments, which will be resolved before construction completion. 

Our team is closely involved with the development of the HVAC controls, providing in-depth review and in some cases re-writing the sequences of operation. 

Cx Associates commissioned Unilever’s 36,600 SF Seventh Generation headquarters facility in Burlington, VT, which contains offices and labs. Commissioned systems included the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), domestic hot water, and lighting and lighting controls. The commissioning process included Owner’s Project Requirement (OPR) facilitation and two design reviews, along with full construction phase commissioning. The owner is pursuing LEED Gold certification (v4 ID+C Commercial Interiors) for this building.

Cx Associates commissioned energy efficiency improvements at Burlington International Airport including the upgraded central chilled water system, replacement of two inefficient constant volume dual duct air distribution systems with a VAV system, extensive controls system programming upgrades, and lighting efficiency upgrades. CxA conducted design review for the central cooling plant and air system and heating plant upgrades. Many of our design review comments had a positive impact on system performance, especially part load operational efficiency. We estimate that our design review of the chiller plant controls alone saved the airport 150,000 kWh/year (20% of full load), worth $19,000/year. In addition, CxA worked with BTV to implement Building Performance Metrics and Monitoring to enable the building operators to maintain system performance over time.

Cx Associates provided peer-level design and construction phase commissioning of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for the YMCA's new, state-of-the-art facility in Burlington, VT. The building is made up of a gymnasium, natatorium, studios, fitness areas, childcare spaces, and offices, and uses water source heat pumps for heating and cooling with rooftop units (RTUs) and an HRV for ventilation. Our work focused on efficiency, first-cost and maintenance cost savings, and ensuring occupants would be comfortable in their spaces. For example, we found a lighting controller that required a fifteen minute wait time before the lights could be re-enabled after shut-down, a potential safety hazard. We worked with the design team and the contractors to find solutions to this and many other issues.

CxA’s commissioning of the multi-purpose, year-round Stowe Arena began during the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage and continued through bidding, design, construction, and occupancy. The RFP development and bidding services helped to ensure that energy efficient design concepts were included in the project proposals from the very beginning. During the design phase, CxA identified many opportunities to improve building performance, such as variable speed control for the desiccant dehumidification system, and optimal hot water supply temperature for boiler efficiency and heat recovery. CxA’s functional performance testing of the installed systems revealed additional opportunities to improve energy efficiency, such as reduced ventilation air pre-heating and adjustments to lighting control settings to more effectively switch off lighting when spaces are unoccupied.

Cx Associates was retained by the Town of Shelburne, VT to provide design and construction phase commissioning for the town’s 16,000 SF new Pierson Library and renovated Historic Town Center project. Commissioned systems included the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), domestic hot water, and lighting and lighting controls. Designed with sustainability and high-performance in mind, the building incorporates many energy efficiency features such as a roof rainwater collection, passive daylighting, and energy-efficient HVAC equipment. Designed for net-zero energy use, the new library and town center was awarded the 2020 Efficiency Vermont Best of the Best Honor Award – Large Commercial, as well as the 2020 People’s Choice Award at Efficiency Vermont’s Better Buildings by Design Conference.

Cx Associates has provided design and construction phase commissioning projects for several large Vermont Army National Guard projects. These projects include the following:

Cx Associates provided design, construction and occupancy phase commissioning services to VTANG’s new LEED Gold Certified Security Forces Building. We commissioned mechanical and electrical systems, including ground source heat pumps and solar PV. Our commissioning engineers found several issues during construction phase, such as sensors installed too high and poorly programmed controls sequences. We estimate that the resolution of these issues saved the facility $7,000/yr. in energy and maintenance costs.

From 2016-2018, Cx Associates provided construction and post-occupancy commissioning services for a new Flight Simulator Building (Building 120) for the Vermont Air National Guard in South Burlington, VT. For this project, Cx Associates focused on the HVAC systems and identified issues pertaining to the duct access doors, a broken damper shaft, improperly aligned air vents, damaged heating coil fins, and a number of other systems.

Cx Associates provided lead commissioning services for a LEED Gold certified renovation and expansion of VTANG’s Fire-Crash-Rescue facility in South Burlington, VT. Our commissioning work with this high-performance building included mechanical and electrical systems, air and water source heat pumps, a geoexchange wellfield, and a 27.63kW PV array on the roof of the station. We developed and coordinated a Measurement and Verification Plan in compliance with LEED-NC 2.2 credit EA C5 to monitor all energy consuming systems through a DDC Base Meter Monitoring System (BMMS).

Cx Associates provided construction phase commissioning services for this new construction project in Burlington, VT, which features office space and 20 residential apartments. The project utilized high efficiency water source heat pumps to offset their heat/cooling rejection in the swing seasons, thereby minimizing the energy input from the central plant during those times. We identified approximately 100 issues during project construction; for example, we found that no automatic controls were installed on exterior lights and no emergency shutoff switches were installed for the gas-fired boilers. We recommended changes that saved the client energy, first costs, and long-term maintenance costs.

Cx Associates provided design, construction, and occupancy phase commissioning for Housing Vermont and Downstreet Housing & Community Development’s new 30-unit multifamily building in Montpelier, VT. Our clients' commitment to providing affordable housing to Vermonters means they needed a commissioning provider who would ensure the new building operated efficiently and with low maintenance costs.

Cx Associates provided mechanical and electrical commissioning for this new county nursing home in Boscawen, NH. This multi-residential health care facility includes over 300 beds, kitchen, laundry, offices and ancillary spaces. The owner required commissioning as a mandatory component of the project to ensure that all systems were complete and functioning properly upon occupancy, and that adequate documentation and training were provided to facilities staff. The facility design included energy efficient measures such as radiant floor heating, geothermal heat pumps, and energy recovery ventilators.

Cx Associates completed construction and occupancy phase commissioning of a full renovation for the three-story, 60-plus-room Bread Loaf Inn. The renovation included winterizing the building with new mechanical equipment, an improved shell, and a commercial-grade kitchen. Our work uncovered a number of issues while the contractors were still onsite, resulting in minimized corrective costs and impact on the people and building systems.

Cx Associates provided commissioning services for the construction of the Spruce Peak Adventure Center at Stowe Mountain Resort. We completed an in-depth review of the HVAC controls design and contractor’s scope work to identify and close existing gaps, resulting in a final, clear, agreed-to path forward for implementation of a complex controls package. As a result of our successful work on this project, we have been retained for several problem-solving projects with Stowe Mountain Resort.

Cx Associates provided commissioning services for this new waterfront boutique hotel which holds 126 guest rooms. Our early involvement in the project allowed us to identify design improvements that resulted in improved building performance and energy cost savings such as $10,000 first cost savings from a lower cost roof top air handling unit, 63,000 kWh and $8,000/year from variable speed pump installations, and 1,750 CCF and $2,500/year from separating the domestic hot water from the heat pump loop heating.

Cx Associates provided Construction and Occupancy Phase Commissioning services for the Rutland Housing Authority (RHA) and Housing Vermont’s multifamily building in Rutland, VT. Working as the independent commissioning agent, we delivered a quality assurance process to help ensure the project meets the High Performance Track of the Efficiency Vermont Multifamily Energy Standards for New Construction. In order to meet this goal, our services for the project included construction verification, functional performance testing, maintaining a commissioning issues log to work through identified issues with the project team, training support for O&M staff, and a review of the systems manual. Ten months after building occupancy, we performed a follow-up visit to ensure that the systems were continuing to operate as designed and installed. 

After providing commissioning services for ECHO, Vermont’s first LEED certified building, in 2003, Cx Associates provided retrocommissioning (RCx) services for ECHO in 2014. We provided services to help ECHO achieve their goals to improve the performance of their pumping and air systems. In addition to reducing the operations staff's time required to maintain the building, the measures we identified included savings of 64,150 kWh annually across a couple of upgrades and improvements.

Cx Associates provided construction phase commissioning services for a Systems Building Renovation for Green Mountain Power (GMP), which included the HVAC and power systems. This project included relocation of the existing data center to the main office facility with extensive commissioning of the installation. In addition, we provided in-depth assistance with the rooftop controls unit and BAS integration. Our focused support helped GMP resolve building performance issues.

Cx Associates managed and conducted a full commissioning quality assurance and validation process for the new Vermont Hard Cider bottling facility. During our rigorous validation process, we uncovered several significant construction issues that, had they not been corrected, may have resulted in significant equipment failure and waste. Cx Associates identified dozens of opportunities to both increase operational effectiveness of the facility as well as energy efficiency.