Testing & Balancing Pricing Plans

Standard Packages

TAB Packages Scaled to Your Mechanical Layout

While every building requires a custom review of its mechanical plans, we maintain standard base pricing brackets to help contractors and facility managers budget for balancing and testing audits.

Residential TAB

$850 / base

Ideal for single-family homes under 4,000 sq ft featuring up to 2 separate zone damper systems. Focuses on balancing bedroom air volumes and cooling cycles.

Full register CFM mapping.
Damper settings calibration.
Attic duct pressure verification.
Texas Energy Code certificate.

Select Residential Plan

Most Requested Commercial TAB

$2,450 / base

Tailored for retail locations, light industrial units, and office spaces under 15,000 sq ft. Focuses on VAV dampers calibration and compliance reporting.

Balancing up to 15 VAV boxes.
Total supply and exhaust fan adjustment.
NIST-certified report package.
Certified inspector compliance sign-off.

Select Commercial Plan

Enterprise TAB

Custom / bid

Required for multi-story office complexes, hospital ventilation zones, high-containment laboratories, and systems with centralized chilled water loops.

Full mechanical blueprint review.
Hydronic chilled water balancing.
ASHRAE 110 laboratory containment certification.
Complete building commissioning coordination.

Request Custom Bid

Audit Capability	Residential TAB	Commercial TAB	Enterprise TAB
Calibrated Flow Hood traverses	Included	Included	Included
Damper adjustment & locking	Included	Included	Included
Duct Leakage Testing (IECC)	Optional (+$250)	Included	Included
VAV box control calibration	N/A	Included (up to 15)	Unlimited
Hydronic (Water Flow) balancing	N/A	N/A	Included
Signed engineering report package	Included	Included	Included
Local building inspector sign-off	Included	Included	Included

Payment & Reporting Workflow

How We Coordinate Testing, Adjusting, & Balancing Projects

Our company follows a clear five-step workflow to ensure that project schedules match your construction timeline. We require mechanical plans before any field dispatch to draft a clear execution plan.

Payment terms are standard NET 30 for pre-approved commercial general contractors. For residential and single-owner projects, we require a 30% mobilization deposit before dispatch, with the remaining balance due upon delivery of the certified report document. All billing is managed through our Dallas office in USD.

Our Project Progression:

Drawing Review: Send us your mechanical layout packages. Our engineers calculate the required equipment and field hours.
Scheduling: We establish a testing date with your mechanical installer, ensuring the site has active electric utilities.
Field Execution: Technicians measure, adjust dampers, and log motor parameters across the building zones.
Report Review: The engineering desk verifies the field readings and checks all calculations against engineering parameters.
Delivery: We deliver the signed TAB report PDF, providing building inspectors with the compliance documentation.

Mechanical FAQ

Answers to Your Air Balancing Questions

Read detailed explanations about testing, adjusting, and balancing protocols, regional building regulations, and HVAC performance.

Building codes in the state of Texas align with International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and International Mechanical Code (IMC) standards. These codes mandate that air systems be balanced to prevent thermal energy waste, verify proper ventilation dilution rates, and ensure building pressurization profiles. Inspectors require a signed TAB report to confirm that the installed mechanical system meets the engineering parameters before issuing a Certificate of Occupancy.

The duration of a commercial TAB audit depends entirely on the complexity of the mechanical layout, the number of air handlers, and terminal diffusers. A small retail space or restaurant under 5,000 square feet can typically be measured and adjusted in a single business day. Larger facilities or office floors with multiple VAV boxes and complex zoning controls can require several days of systematic adjustments to ensure all zones perform correctly.

For our technicians to perform accurate measurements, the building's envelope must be sealed, with all doors, windows, and ceiling tiles installed. The HVAC system must be fully operational, clean, and fitted with fresh air filters. Most importantly, the mechanical contractor must verify that all dampers are fully open and active power is connected to the air handlers. Any construction dust or open ceilings will distort pressure readings and delay the certification process.

If our measurements show that a zone or air handler cannot meet the mechanical drawing parameters, we log the bottleneck (e.g., pinched flex ducts, slipping fan belts, or incorrect control sequences) in our notes. We compile these discrepancies into a pre-report punch list for the installing contractor. Once they resolve the physical restrictions, we re-test the system and compile the final compliance report.

Duct leakage testing evaluates the physical sealing of the metal or flex ductwork, ensuring that thermal energy is not lost to unconditioned spaces. Air balancing adjusts the distribution of the airflow through the ducts to ensure uniform comfort. While leakage testing verifies ductwork assembly quality, air balancing calibrates the dampers to regulate the room airflow delivery. Both are often required for code compliance.

Using an independent testing and balancing firm ensures that there is no conflict of interest during the system evaluation. Since we do not install HVAC equipment or sell mechanical parts, we have no incentive to hide installation mistakes or downplay system inefficiencies. We provide objective, scientific readings that verify the building owner gets the mechanical performance they paid for, protecting their capital investment.