Building commissioning as an insurance loss prevention strategy

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:20002679

Brady, R C; Dasher, C

Insurance companies for design professionals pay millions of dollars in HVAC-related claims each year. DPIC is the second largest insurer of design professionals in North America. Their study of these claims indicates that building commissioning could save significant claim payment dollars. Commissioning--as an integrated, fundamental building/design/construction/operation process improvement--has the potential to improve the design process, the quality of design, and building performance. Improved building performance not only reduces the likelihood of professional liability claims, it also improves owner satisfaction and user productivity, which in turn builds the reputations of architects and engineers. Recognizing that commissioning could improve claims statistics, this design professional insurance company conducted the following studies: (1) a telephone survey of 40 insureds to assess policyholder understanding and interest in building commissioning; (2) focused discussions with two groups of insureds (one group of architects and one of engineers) to get their feedback on the concept of commissioning and potential claims-reduction program options; and (3) an investigation of closed claims files to assess the degree to which commissioning could mitigate claims. This paper will review the results of these studies and discuss the insurance company's plans for promoting commissioning as a loss-prevention strategy for its policyholders.

• Research Organization: DPIC Companies, Inc., Monterey, CA (US)
• OSTI ID: 20002679
• Report Number(s): CONF-980815--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
BUILDINGS
INSURANCE
LIABILITIES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS