Modern UK office buildings have a reputation of being energy profligate, largely due to the fan power requirements of commercial air conditioning. Most architects and HVAC designers only associate low-energy consumption with natural ventilation. However, the UK electricity utilities have peak maximum demands in winter, and buildings need to be designed for year-round lowenergy usage. Relatively few monitored studies of the total annual energy implications of natural and mechanical ventilation strategies operating in conjunction with fabric thermal storage have been published.

Making the controls contractor responsible for testing, adjusting and balancing would improve the process and reduce finger pointing.

Test and balance services are vital for an HVAC system to operate properly and efficiently.

This paper discusses guidelines for testing and balancing, lists qualifications for the TAB agency, and gives an overview of TAB work at various stages of construction