Building Tune-ups

Buildings owners can choose between four compliance pathways: 

1. Complete a building tune-up. 
2. Choose an Alternative Compliance Pathway that demonstrates you have a high efficiency building or have recently taken actions that substantially improved your building’s efficiency.
3. Apply for a 1-year extension if you meet one of the qualifying criteria:
   1. Recent change in building ownership.
   2. +50% of the building is vacant and not leased for at least 6 months of the previous year.
   3. Building is undergoing a major renovation.
   4. A building’s owner is experiencing financial hardship such as bankruptcy or foreclosure.
4. Apply for an exemption if the building is being demolished.

A building tune-up is a process of reviewing of energy systems, controls, and maintenance practices, and making minor adjustments and fixes as needed to bring them up to a good state of performance. Meta-analysis by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) shows that tune-ups result in a median annual energy savings of 12% and a median annual cost savings of $0.16 per square foot for a building. 

Base building systems or subsystems that use energy or impact energy consumption are checked during a tune-up, including: 

• building envelope 
• HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) 
• domestic hot water systems, including water softening equipment 
• and electrical lighting systems. 

For each system, the following elements (if present) are checked to make sure they are meeting the specifications defined by the building owner: 

• Sensors
• Schedules
• Set points
• Outside air control/ventilation
• Equipment controls
• Maintenance or repair needs
• Design recommendations

Operational adjustments or repairs are included in a tune-up when an element does not meet the building owner’s requirements or is in need of maintenance or repair.  

Tune-up must be carried out by a qualified tune-up specialist or a team under their supervision. It is the Tune-up Specialist's job to make sure that building systems are operating per the needs and expectations of the building owner and are not in need of maintenance or repair. A Tune-up Specialist can be on-site staff or a contracted service provider, as long as they have the proper qualifications.

A Tune-up Specialist must have at least three years of experience in building commissioning, tune-ups, energy auditing, or building energy system management and hold one of the following certifications:

• Professional Engineer (PE) in Mechanical or Architectural Engineering licensed in Wisconsin
• Building Operator Certification (BOC) Level II administered by Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MWEEA)
• Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP), or Existing Building Commissioning Professional (EBCP), issued by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) 
• Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP) or Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP), issued by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Existing Building Commissioning Process Provider (EBCxP), Qualified Commissioning Process Provider (QCxP), Accredited Commissioning Process Authority Professional (CxAP), Accredited Commissioning Process Manager (CxM), Accredited Commissioning Process Technical Service Provider (CxTS), and Accredited Green Commissioning Process Provider (GCxP) issued by the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering's Interdisciplinary Professional Programs
• Certified Commissioning Professional administered by the Building Commissioning Certification Board
• Commissioning Authority (CxA) administered by the AABC Commissioning Group (ACG)
• Energy Management Professional (EMP) certification issued by the Energy Management Association (EMA)
• Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) issued by the American Hospital Association

The City of Madison does not maintain a list of qualified Tune-up Specialists. A Tune-up Specialist can be on-site staff or a contracted service provider, as long as they have the proper qualifications. 

To find qualified contractors, check out Focus on Energy's list of Trade Allies. Look for Trade Allies that perform the following services:

• Retrocommissioning
• Commissioning
• Energy Planning
• Energy Management
• ASHRAE Level 1 Audit

We recognize that many building owners are making great strides toward achieving energy efficiency. Rather than conducting a Tune-Up and to allow flexibility for owners, buildings that are already highly energy efficient, or those that have recently undergone improvements that substantially improve energy efficiency can apply for an Alternative Compliance Pathway by submitting proof of one of the follow conditions or certifications: 

• Certified ENERGY STAR score of +75 for 2024
• LEED Gold or Platinum (O+M) within last 3 years
• Complete full commissioning or retro-commissioning within last 3 years
• Net Zero Energy Certification within last 3 years
• +10% improvement in energy efficiency over last 4 years
• Completing ASHRAE Level II audit and implemented recommendations with a simple payback of <2 years within last 2 years
• Demonstrate building has energy use intensity (EUI) of 20 kBTU/sq. ft. for at least 2 of the last 3 years
• Received any of the following awards within the last 3 years:
  • Dane County Climate Champion recognition in the category of Building Energy Use
  • Better Buildings Goal Achievers recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge
  • BOMA 360 designation and received +6 points for Energy Star Benchmarking, Building Energy Management, and Energy Audit and System Commissioning
  • BOMA TOBY award in the Office or Earth categories with +5 or +6 points, respectively, for Benchmarking & Performance Rating

The Tune-Up Report Workbook, which you will need to show your work to the City of Madison, is under final review and available in January 2025. Check back here to download the Workbook and for more program updates. In the meantime, you can start by identifying your Tune-up Specialist who can provide information about how long the tune-up process will take and how much it will cost for your building. Your Tune-up Specialist can also help you organize any existing reports or studies you have already done that can assist in tuning-up your building.

Yes! Focus on Energy incentives are available for whole building tune-ups and retrocommissioning, one of the Alternative Compliance Pathways. 

Whole Building Tune-Up (WBTU) incentive

• Prescriptive incentive that provides up to $1,850, increasing in 2025
• Focused on tuning up HVAC equipment, may be better suited for medium sized buildings
• Source of funding for those completing a building tune-up

Retrocommissioning (RCx) offering

• Provides $0.10/sq ft for completing retrocommissioning and reducing EUI by up to 5%
• Additional $0.01/sq ft for every 1% reduction in EUI above 5%
• Up to $100,000
• Source of funding for those choosing the Retrocommissioning Compliance Pathway

Contact a Focus on Energy Advisor to learn more and get started:

• Commercial Advisor - Adam Wagner - adam.wagner@focusonenergy.com
• School & Government Advisor - Joe Kottwitz - Joe.Kottwitz@focusonenergy.com