Post Construction Commissioning

After a series of investigations by other firms, the cause of excessive humidity at the Alachua County Corrections Center was finally determined by Dr. West using detailed data acquisition and computer modeling tools. The elusive nature of the root-causes was due to several factors, none of which alone was enough to explain the problem. Acting together, this combination resulted in humidity levels of 70 to 90% rh. Causes included pressure imbalances within the building, mis-calibrated damper actuators, and control system programming oversights. An adjust, balance, and commissioning specification was developed and engineering oversight ensured that every detail of the specification was properly implemented. Due to this attention to detail, an airflow problem was traced to a measurement error by the TAB contractor. Humidity levels are now maintained below 60% rh and the County is enjoying energy savings of about $80,000 per year.