Verify it, then document it.
Commissioning means proving a system performs the way it was designed to, before you call the job done. Startup is the other thing: turn it on, watch it run, hope for the best. Commercial construction has commissioned against spec for decades, residential mostly skipped it, and the failure data shows the cost. measureQuick makes commissioning practical on every install, and turns the verification into ACCA Quality Installation documentation automatically.
Why commissioning gets skipped
Contractors care. The old way was too slow, and the equipment now shipping does not forgive it.
- Startup mistaken for commissioning, with nothing measured and no record to show
- Verifying performance by hand takes time the schedule does not have
- ACCA QI paperwork is a separate chore after the work is done
- Inverters, electronic expansion valves, and A2L charge tolerances leave no margin for a sloppy install
- New construction handoffs and warranty claims with no baseline to stand on
What you get
Commissioning on every call
Read the system, score it against the standard, and you have verified performance in the same visit. No separate commissioning trip.
A score the tech cannot fudge
A certificate needs a 95% or higher grade, all nine subsystems passing, and Bluetooth tools on the measured fields, because hand-typed numbers can be adjusted to manipulate a result. Override a fail back to a pass and the app will not issue the certificate. The proof is hard to fake on purpose.
ACCA QI, generated
A pass maps to ACCA Quality Installation criteria and produces the certificate automatically, either Verified Equipment Operation (VEO) for the equipment on the existing ductwork or Verified System Performance (VSP) for the whole system. The proof and the paperwork are one step.
Commissioning is a line, not a cost
Build it into tiered pricing at the kitchen table and most customers buy the quality. Paul McHugh, sales manager at Ray O. Cook, frames the choice plainly: "We can do this job to 70%, or we can get you north of 95%. Which would you prefer? About 70% of people pick the commission." On a $16,000 to $20,000 replacement, the commissioning step runs about $400.
New construction protection
On a new install, the commissioning record certifies the system hit spec and protects the warranty. The builder, the homeowner, and you all hold the proof.
Proof the program will accept
Rebates moved from the tax line to the proof line. DOE Home Energy Rebates and 2026 utility programs increasingly require a commissioning report and a passed inspection, and ANSI/RESNET/ICC/ACCA Standard 310 grades the install. The certificate you generate is the document that qualifies.
Commissioning in one visit
- 01
Read the running system
measureQuick reads superheat, subcooling, static pressure, and the conditions from the probes the tech already placed. No extra trip, no separate appointment.
- 02
Score against the standard
The readings normalize to rated conditions and roll into a 0 to 100 Vitals score, so a pass means verified performance instead of a guess.
- 03
Generate the documentation
A pass maps to ACCA Quality Installation criteria and produces the certificate automatically. The proof and the paperwork are one step.
- 04
Hand over the proof
The homeowner, the builder, and the office all hold the commissioning record as the warranty baseline the install was right.
Commission it right the first time
Commissioning is what stops the callback. Here is gas commissioning done in a day, the same measure, score, and document workflow your crew follows on every install.
What commissioning shops report
of Ray O. Cook customers choose a package that includes commissioning when it is offered as a line at the table.
of oversizing caught and removed across 400 to 425 installs in one year at Ray O. Cook, with zero comfort complaints.
of installs commissioned with measureQuick at Progressive Heating and Air, every one of 17 trucks carrying a probe kit.
Results reported by the named contractors from their own use of measureQuick; your results will vary by market and workflow.
“You now have the ability in measureQuick to generate an ACCA quality installation certificate for your customer.”
Questions, answered
What is residential commissioning?
Verifying a system performs the way it was designed to before the job is done. It has been standard in commercial construction for decades; in residential it mostly has not, and DOE finds as much as 90% of systems are installed with some error.
What does commissioning actually change?
Capacity. DOE/Southface field data puts an average installed system near 57% of rated capacity and a properly commissioned one around 90%. The homeowner paid for the bigger system; commissioning is how they get it.
Does it add a separate trip?
No. The diagnostic reads the system, scores it against the standard, and verifies performance in the same visit. There is no separate commissioning appointment.
Where does the ACCA QI paperwork come from?
A Vitals pass maps to ACCA Quality Installation criteria and generates the documentation automatically, so the proof and the paperwork are one step.
How is the certificate kept honest?
A certificate requires a 95% or higher grade, all nine subsystems passing, and Bluetooth tools on the measured fields, since typed-in numbers can be edited. If a tech overrides a fail to a pass, the app will not generate a certificate at all.
How does it protect a warranty?
The commissioning record is a baseline that shows the system hit spec at handoff. On a warranty claim, you hold proof the install was right, which the field research says is where most failures begin.
Commission your next install.
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