An architect and an electrical engineer are working on the following projects together: a 2-story hotel, a 6-story hospital, a 1-story bank, an 18-story hotel, a 1-story office, and a 22-story mixed-use building.
The answers to this question are Bank and Hospital. The thing that these two projects have in common is that they both need to maintain critical operations power systems (COPS).
Is “electrical power commisioning” synonymous with COPs or is the way to approach these kinds of questions is to know what of electrical sysytems need to be maintained based on project type?
Hi @william,
These two terms are not necessarily synonymous, but they are related.
NEC Article 708 defines critical operations power systems (COPS) as “power systems for facilities or parts of facilities that require continuous operation for the reasons of public safety, emergency management, national security, or business continuity." Therefore, you can see why both a bank and hospital would require these. In order to ensure proper operation, these systems should be commissioned.
An electrical power commissioning plan outlines the procedures, responsibilities, and steps needed to ensure a newly installed or modified electrical system functions correctly, safely, and according to design specifications.
The key word here is commissioning - if I saw that in a question, I would know that it would be referring to the verification after construction that a structure and its systems and subsystems meet the project requirements as intended and designed. Even if I didn’t know exactly what COPS or an electrical power commission plan were, I would ask myself which of the listed facilities would require this level of evaluation; which facilities require crucial electrical requirements?
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles