By George E. Martin, The NEBB Professional, Q3 2024
I remember the day I was first hired by a TAB firm. I had no prior knowledge of the Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) world. My work experience mostly consisted of some mechanical drafting I had done for a chiller manufacturer for a few months and the previous years I had spent working as a laborer for my dad’s interior demolition company. Nevertheless, my previous boss took a chance on a young guy with no experience and invested the time, expense, and effort in showing me the ins and outs of the TAB industry. For that, I will honestly be forever grateful.
From the outset, it became clear to me that NEBB certification is the gold standard in the TAB industry. The rigorous process, the high level of technical expertise required, and the commitment to continuous education, all make NEBB Certified TAB work stand out. When you’re working with a NEBB Certified Firm, you know you’re getting top-tier service—because that’s what it takes to earn and maintain that certification.
One day, my boss approached me about becoming a Certified Professional. I had spent some time in a management role in his company—shout out to the team at Independent Testing and Balancing!—and had effectively been running projects and troubleshooting systems for enough time to meet the requirements set forth by NEBB. It was time to take the next step in my career.
At the time, I did not question why I should put myself through the process of taking (and eventually passing) multiple examinations or what the true value of this certification would be. All I saw was an opportunity to get better at my trade and gain credentials that validated my years of experience. Looking back on what becoming a Certified Professional has meant for me, and what it means to operate in that capacity for a NEBB TAB Certified Firm, I can more clearly see the value expected from and brought by the NEBB brand. I remember the first time I received a phone call from an engineer with a question on a project that was not mine, and when I asked why he was calling me and not the TAB contractor assigned to the job, his response was, “You’re NEBB Certified, so I know that you know what you’re doing.” While that may well summarize one of the reasons why so many in the mechanical industry rely on NEBB firms, I can assure you there is more to it than just being a firm that “knows what they’re doing.” If you’ll permit me some of your time, I would like to explain more fully why you should choose to work with a TAB firm that is specifically NEBB Certified. I will begin with the most obvious benefits and work towards those which may be less apparent.
Technical Competence
Unless you have personally attempted to obtain NEBB TAB Certification, you may not be aware of the level of technical competence required to meet this professional milestone. Becoming a Certified Firm begins with having at least one individual qualify as a NEBB TAB Certified Professional. This individual must meet educational and experience requirements to qualify to apply for certification. Once the application is accepted, the individual must pass three in-person exams-two of which test the candidate’s practical proficiency in air and hydronic balancing, and the third, a written exam to test their theoretical knowledge of mechanical systems, engineering fundamentals and NEBB’s own TAB Procedural Standards. These tests are not easy. I personally know multiple U.S. licensed Professional Engineers who have failed one or more of these exams. This is typically not due to a lack of technical competence on their part, but to a lack of deep knowledge of the TAB industry and problem-solving methodology. In other words, they have a solid grasp of engineering principles but lack the necessary TABspecific knowledge to pass the exams. You cannot become a NEBB TAB Certified Professional unless you personally have a deep understanding of how to properly balance a given system, troubleshoot commonly encountered TAB issues, understand the design intent of mechanical systems, and can train others to understand and implement NEBB’s TAB Procedural Standards. Obtaining this certification is no small feat, and even having an individual meet this requirement does not automatically qualify a firm for certification. The firm must also demonstrate that they have been providing TAB services for an extended period and be able to produce recommendation letters from architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners to verify that the work they performed resulted in a system that was functioning as intended and to the satisfaction of the occupants of the space.
The simple act of becoming a certified firm already marks a given service provider as meeting the NEBB standard—one of technical excellence and proficiency in the TAB industry. Even so, there is more involved in a firm’s maintaining its status as a certified firm. The company needs to meet a requirement of continuous education that ensures that its members are aware of new and developing technologies, changes in mechanical system designs, and new products in the HVAC market. Consequently, it is uncommon for a NEBB TAB Certified Firm to find itself working on a project or system that they do not understand. In fact, when they struggle to understand a system, that tends to be a good indication that there may be a deficiency in the design of the system.
Further, the process to obtain and maintain status as a NEBB TAB Certified firm stands alone relative to other certifying agencies. You may be familiar with AABC, but were you aware that this agency does not require its Test and Balance Engineers to complete a practical exam to verify that they personally know how to balance a system? Likewise, it is common knowledge in the industry that the written exam for TABB certification is not as rigorous as the one provided by NEBB. This is not to diminish the credibility of anyone possessing either of those certifications. Truly, it is a blessing to the TAB industry as a whole that there are organizations holding their professionals to any kind of standard. Nevertheless, NEBB has continually striven to be the premier international certifying agency and proves that by intentionally providing a process that cannot easily be obtained. This may sound like a bunch of marketing, but I encourage you to do your own research. Ask around, look up the qualifications for all the available TAB certifying agencies (NEBB publishes these on their website for public perusal). Between what you are able to read and what those in the industry are well aware of, I can assure you will come to the conclusion that there is no TAB Firm Certification like the one provided by NEBB. In short, if you are working with a NEBB TAB Certified Firm, you are undoubtedly working with one of the best available firms in the TAB industry.
An Underappreciated Benefit: Communication
Try to imagine working as a mechanical design engineer. You pour countless hours into designing a system, verifying your calculations, drafting up a sequence of operations to cover all possible scenarios under which the system may be operating. You also have to ensure that your system can operate as required for “design days,” those instances when the temperature and/or humidity in your area skyrocket, or when the next polar vortex envelopes your neighborhood. After completing all that—and spending additional time on RFIs and subsequently needed revisions—what do you think would cause you the greatest professional stress?
Unfortunately, no one is perfect, and mistakes are made by even the best engineers. That being said, when the time comes to address any operational issues that arise, what would a design engineer appreciate most? In principle, when any of us faces a challenge, one of the most valuable assets to us at that point in time is a teammate, someone who understands the issue and can “speak our language.” Someone who works collaboratively with you to resolve the issue or minimize its negative impacts and can communicate their thinking process to you in a way you can readily understand.
Think back to the certification process for NEBB TAB Certified Firms. Recall that this process requires the successful completion of exams that not only show practical ability to perform the balancing of a mechanical system, but also require that the NEBB Certified Professional have a grasp of fundamental engineering principles. They are tested on basic thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, fan and pump laws, and more. Where there are plenty of TAB firms out there that can record readings on air or hydronic systems, one that is NEBB Certified understands the how and why behind the readings. They understand the reasoning used by an engineer in the design process, even if they themselves are not engineers. Thus, they are capable of speaking with an engineer “at eye level,” bringing that same understanding to the table along with their procedural expertise.
What does all this mean? Simply, it means that a NEBB TAB Certified Firm and its Professional can more readily identify issues, explain why these are occurring, and work with the mechanical contractor and design engineer towards a resolution. This results in less time wasted trying to effectively communicate. A qualified TAB firm acts as a bridge between the contractors and engineers on a project and needs to be able to speak to both parties, combining both technical and practical expertise to convey recommendations that unite the team towards a solution to the problem. This turns into less downtime, faster project completion, and— for those concerned with the financial aspect of a project—money saved.
The Network
This is not to say that all NEBB Certified Firms have a full understanding of every aspect of any given mechanical system for all possible environments. Though NEBB does its best to ensure that the highest standard is set for its members, any individual will still have gaps in their personal knowledge. In those situations, what does a NEBB TAB Certified firm have that sets it apart from firms certified by other agencies? They have access to a global network of professionals that are ready to lend a hand.
I can attest to this personally, but ask around, and you will find that many other NEBB TAB Certified Professionals have reached out to each other for help in understanding and resolving issues on their projects. Even among local competitors, I have seen NEBB’s members collaborate and support each other. This stems from a fundamental belief that upholding the NEBB standard benefits all NEBB Certified Firms – a rising tide lifts all boats, so to say.
In the rare event where no one in a given area understands a given system design or issue, NEBB Headquarters holds an office for Technical Director Jeff Schools to offer additional advice and support. In the event that he cannot personally assist, the office can provide connections to any number of its Certified Professionals, many of whom also hold NEBB Certifications (often in more disciplines than just TAB) and some of whom are licensed professional engineers working to design and balance systems all over the world. The NEBB Network provides such a powerful support system for its members that I have yet to see an instance where a problem goes unidentified and unexplained.
The globality of this network cannot be over-emphasized. Current NEBB President Luis Chinchilla is from Costa Rica. The systems designed there vary widely from what one might find in the Pacific Northwest of the United States where Phil Emory, NEBB’s immediate Past President, hails. From the US to Costa Rica, to the Middle East, and Australia, NEBB TAB Certified Firms work on all manner of systems designed for all conceivable conditions. As a whole, NEBB has literally seen it all, so when you work with a NEBB TAB Certified Firm, you benefit from the knowledge possessed not only by that firm, but also the entire NEBB network.
When All Else Fails: The Quality Assurance Program
In rare cases, a NEBB TAB Certified Firm fails to perform its work to the standard established by NEBB. Most often, when a report is presented with false or inaccurate information, the end user will note the discrepancy, and the NEBB TAB Certified firm will correct the matter (typically involving disciplinary action taken against the technician who failed to perform the TAB work correctly) and the matter will end with the reputations of NEBB and that particular firm intact. In even rarer instances, a firm could refuse to meet contractual obligations and insist on providing subpar workmanship. If this happens, the end user may feel trapped and, if they are working with a firm that is not certified, they very well may be. However, this is not the case when the firm in question is certified by NEBB.
NEBB’s Quality Assurance Program is a fail-safe that ensures no end user who chose to rely on a NEBB TAB Certified Firm is left in the lurch. The program allows for the client in question to contact NEBB Headquarters and file a complaint, request an investigation and (depending on the results of the investigation, even have another NEBB TAB Certified Firm head to their location and perform proper balancing of their system. If an individual firm does not uphold the NEBB core value of integrity, NEBB will uphold that value itself. While the specifics of the Quality Assurance Program are more involved than the summary laid out here, these are published on NEBB’s website for the public to review. Again, this is yet another means by which NEBB separates itself from other certifying organizations. The protection afforded to those who rely on the NEBB standard ensures that they are never left feeling disappointed with the end result.
What To Do with This Information
This article has laid out only four of the many benefits to be had from working with a NEBB TAB Certified Firm for design professionals, contractors, and building owners/occupants. What do you do now with all this information?
If you are a design professional concerned with ensuring that your clients receive the best quality end product, looking for a collaborative team member who can communicate with your team and clients effectively to resolve issues on a project, and eager to bring your projects to a successful close with a system you know has been properly balanced, you should consider specifying NEBB TAB Certified Firms.
If you are a Contractor looking for a TAB Contractor in your area to help work through a particularly complicated project, do not hesitate to look up NEBB TAB Certified Firms on the NEBB website. The information is publicly available, and you will find not just the company name, but the name of the individual Certified Professional with whom you will be working. Build a relationship with these firms and see how they support your efforts to effectively and efficiently close out projects with minimal downtime.
If you are a Building Owner or Owner’s Representative and are experiencing difficulties getting your space to feel comfortable, you are also encouraged to use the NEBB website to find a Certified Firm in your area who can provide you with the service and support you need to ensure that the systems in your building are functioning as designed.
Lastly, if you are a NEBB Certified Professional and have reviewed the above article, then you know what is expected of you. All NEBB Certified Professionals and Firms are expected to provide the best possible service to their clients and ensure that the TAB work performed is of the highest quality. If you need help on a project, do not hesitate to reach out to other firms near you for advice and support. Truly, in the world of NEBB, a rising tide does lift all boats. The NEBB network is one that you can help contribute towards building up. Work with your clients and design professionals to validate your certification. In doing so, you set your own firm apart, but you also clearly illustrate the benefits of choosing a NEBB TAB Certified Firm, the gold standard in the industry.