Continuous Commissioning & Fault Finding That Restores the Performance You Designed For
Engineering diagnosis for HVAC, compressed air, steam and utility systems that are not performing as they should, finding the real root cause inside the system and fixing it, then keeping it performing over time.
- Diagnoses why a system is not matching its design intent, not just the symptoms
- Finds system-level faults invisible at the level of individual equipment
- Defines corrective actions, supports the fix, then validates the result
- Continuous: ongoing monitoring so performance does not quietly degrade again
- Part of SHV Energy
- ISO 50001
What This Service Is
Continuous Commissioning and Fault Finding is about validating that systems are operating as intended, and then staying involved to identify where they are not. In our delivery model, commissioning is not a single end-of-project step. It is part of a broader process where systems are tested, validated and then continually assessed against expected performance, confirming that they operate as designed and deliver the expected performance and savings.
Fault finding is the practical extension of that: actively investigating where performance is not matching design expectations, identifying the root cause, and resolving it through engineering intervention. The service typically sits after project delivery or alongside live operations, and applies to complex systems such as HVAC, compressed air, steam and utilities, where performance depends on how systems interact, not just on how individual assets operate.
The Challenge It Solves
The client does not come asking for continuous commissioning. They come because something is not behaving the way it should, and they cannot pinpoint why. The underlying problem is a gap between design intent and actual operation.
A system is designed, installed and commissioned at a point in time. But once it is operational, things drift: control strategies are overridden, operating conditions change, maintenance practices vary, and different systems begin to interact in unintended ways. At this point the site may have data, alarms and reports, but no clear answer. They can see inefficiency, instability or unexplained energy use, but they cannot tell whether the issue is control logic, integration, equipment behaviour or operational practice. That is when we are brought in, not to run a generic audit, but to diagnose what is actually happening inside the system and restore performance.
- A system that no longer performs the way it was designed to
- Data, alarms and reports, but no clear answer to what is wrong
- Unable to tell if it is control logic, integration, equipment or operation
- Inefficiency or instability that drifts back even after point fixes
How EM3 Delivers It
Understand how it is actually behaving
We start with how the system is behaving now, not how it was intended to behave. We review existing site data, system configuration and operational patterns to identify where performance deviates from expectations.
Targeted site investigation
We carry out focused site surveys to capture how the systems are configured and operating in reality, including the control philosophy, the existing equipment setup and the interaction between systems.
Structured fault identification
This goes well beyond obvious leaks or failures. We identify system-level problems such as incorrect sequencing, wrong pressure settings, control instability and inefficient operating modes, the kind of issues that include compressed-air leaks, pressure too high for low-demand users, distribution inefficiencies and missed heat recovery.
Define corrective actions
We define the corrective actions, which can range from control-strategy adjustments through to physical system changes, each with its expected impact.
Validate the result
We test the system again after the changes to confirm they deliver the intended improvement in performance and efficiency. This ties the fault finding back to commissioning and verification, so the fix is proven, not assumed.
Keep it performing
Where the work extends into continuous commissioning, ongoing monitoring and repeat engagement ensure that performance does not quietly degrade again over time.
What You Receive
Identified faults with corrective actions
A set of identified faults with defined corrective actions and their associated impact, including quantified energy-saving opportunities and system optimisation measures.
A root-cause diagnosis
The system-level root cause, not just the visible symptom, so the fix addresses why the system underperforms.
Validated system performance
A system tested after the changes and confirmed to operate in line with the original design intent.
Quantified impact
The energy savings, carbon reduction and operational improvements the corrective actions deliver.
Ongoing visibility
Where extended into continuous commissioning, ongoing visibility of system performance so you can maintain efficiency rather than react to the next problem.
A performing system
Not just a list of issues: a system performing as expected, or a clear, validated pathway to get it there.
Proven Outcome
On a large compressed-air system at a major consumer-goods manufacturer, EM3 identified multiple system-level inefficiencies that were not visible at an equipment level. Through detailed analysis of how the system actually behaved, the opportunities spanned leak management, pressure reduction, sequencing optimisation and heat recovery.
Together they added up to 4,443 MWh of energy savings and 998 tonnes of CO2. That is fault finding at a system level translating directly into measurable operational and financial impact, the difference between a system that looks fine asset by asset and one that is genuinely performing as a whole.
Why EM3
System-level, not isolated assets
Many providers can identify an isolated issue. We look at systems as integrated environments and focus on how they behave together, which is where the largest inefficiencies almost always sit.
Independent of vendors
With no ties to equipment or software suppliers, we diagnose issues objectively and recommend solutions without bias toward a particular technology or vendor.
We stay past the diagnosis
The same team that finds the issue supports the implementation and validates the performance afterwards, so the fix actually delivers results rather than just being recommended.
We find the non-obvious
The faults that matter most, sequencing, control instability, missed heat recovery, are invisible at equipment level. Diagnosing them is exactly where this service earns its place.
How We Engage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between commissioning and continuous commissioning?
Commissioning validates that a system operates as designed at handover. Continuous commissioning keeps assessing it against expected performance over time, because systems drift as controls are overridden, conditions change and maintenance varies. The point is to maintain performance rather than let it degrade.
We have data and alarms but no answer. Can you help?
Yes, that is exactly when we are brought in. You can see inefficiency, instability or unexplained energy use, but not whether it is control logic, integration, equipment behaviour or operational practice. We diagnose what is actually happening inside the system.
What kinds of faults do you find?
Not just leaks and failures. System-level issues like incorrect sequencing, wrong pressure settings, control instability, distribution inefficiencies and missed heat recovery, the problems that are invisible when you look at individual equipment.
Do you just hand us a list of issues?
No. We define the corrective actions, support the implementation, and then validate by testing the system again to confirm the changes actually delivered the improvement. The same team that finds the issue sees it through.
Which systems does this apply to?
Complex systems where performance depends on how things interact: HVAC, compressed air, steam and utilities, typically after project delivery or alongside live operations.
How is it engaged?
It is usually embedded within a broader delivery, audit or engineering-support scope, or run as a focused diagnostic, with the depth scoped to the system and the fault. Where it continues, it becomes an ongoing monitoring relationship.
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