How do you calculate a commissioning risk score?

Multiply three 1-10 scores: fault severity x fault likelihood x pre-energization detection. With severity 6, likelihood 4 and detection 3 the raw product is 72, scaled here to a 4.55 commissioning risk score on the displayed scale.

Why is detection scored so that higher means worse?

In this FMEA convention a high detection score means your pre-energization checks are unlikely to catch the fault before you energize. So weak detection inflates the score, pushing you to add a witness test or relay verification.

What is a good commissioning risk score?

There is no universal cutoff, but most microgrid commissioning teams set an internal threshold, anything above it gets a mandatory hold point. Compare scores within one project rather than against an absolute number.

Commissioning RPN vs design FMEA, what is the difference?

A design FMEA rates the product across its life; commissioning risk rates the one-time act of energizing a specific installed asset, where wiring errors and protection mis-settings dominate over component wear-out.

How do I lower a high commissioning risk score?

You cannot easily change severity, so attack likelihood (better installation QA, factory-tested skids) or detection (hipot, secondary injection, point-to-point checks) to bring the product down before energization.

Should I re-score after a settings change?

Yes. Any change to inverter protection settings, CT polarity, or relay logic resets your detection and likelihood assumptions, so re-run the score before the next energization attempt.

Microgrid & Distributed Energy Equipment calculator

Commissioning Risk Calculator

Commissioning Risk is an FMEA-style Risk Priority Number adapted for energizing microgrid and distributed energy resource (DER) equipment for the first time. Commissioning engineers and field service leads use it to rank which faults, arc-flash on closing a tie breaker, reverse-power on a genset, mis-set inverter protection, deserve a hold point before energization. It multiplies how bad a fault would be by how likely it is and by how poorly your pre-energization checks would catch it. A high score flags a commissioning step that needs an extra witness test, hipot, or protection-relay verification before you close the breaker.

What this calculator does

Score and rank commissioning risk on microgrid and distributed energy projects, so teams can decide which energization, protection, or controls step needs more checks before going live.
Use it when commissioning risk on a microgrid and distributed energy project needs a defensible ranking before energization or islanding tests.
It computes a single commissioning Risk Priority Number by multiplying fault severity, fault likelihood, and pre-energization detection scores on a shared scale.

Formula used

Commissioning risk score = commissioning fault severity × fault likelihood × pre-energization detection
Use the same scoring scale across comparable commissioning risks.

Inputs explained

Commissioning fault severity (1-10):
Likelihood of fault during energization (1-10):
Pre-energization detection capability (1-10):

How to use the result

Use it during the commissioning readiness review for each DER asset or breaker before first energization, and again after any wiring or settings change.
The score is only as consistent as your scoring rubric; a 6x4x3 from one engineer must mean the same thing as another's, or the ranking is noise rather than risk.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial electricity averages 8.71 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, May 2026), up 5.1% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
Steel mill PPI stands at 374.203 (BLS, Jul 2026), up 22.5% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 7.4% year over year (Census).

Common questions

How do you calculate a commissioning risk score? Multiply three 1-10 scores: fault severity x fault likelihood x pre-energization detection. With severity 6, likelihood 4 and detection 3 the raw product is 72, scaled here to a 4.55 commissioning risk score on the displayed scale.
Why is detection scored so that higher means worse? In this FMEA convention a high detection score means your pre-energization checks are unlikely to catch the fault before you energize. So weak detection inflates the score, pushing you to add a witness test or relay verification.
What is a good commissioning risk score? There is no universal cutoff, but most microgrid commissioning teams set an internal threshold, anything above it gets a mandatory hold point. Compare scores within one project rather than against an absolute number.
Commissioning RPN vs design FMEA, what is the difference? A design FMEA rates the product across its life; commissioning risk rates the one-time act of energizing a specific installed asset, where wiring errors and protection mis-settings dominate over component wear-out.
How do I lower a high commissioning risk score? You cannot easily change severity, so attack likelihood (better installation QA, factory-tested skids) or detection (hipot, secondary injection, point-to-point checks) to bring the product down before energization.

Last reviewed 2026-07-13.