Earlier this year, the San Francisco Bay area Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) Chapter hosted a successful seminar for mechanical engineers and contractors to introduce them to the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) Certification program. The event was held at the Santa Clara County Sheet Metal Joint Apprenticeship Center of Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA) Local 104, and was featured in the industry publication Indoor Comfort News. Attendees included members of the Bay Area American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

NEMI Executive Director Erik Emblem and SMACNA Group Director for Technical Resources Eli Howard, discussed the organization's new certification program as well as the latest national duct construction standards approved by SMACNA. In discussing the history of TABB Certification, Emblem noted that the program was born of SMACNA and the SMWIA's desire to employ a certification process for union air balancing contractors. The Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA) had already been certifying test and balance technicians through the International Training Institute (ITI). The new TABB Certification program was built from the ITI TAB technician program and its core concept. The new TABB program extends certification to contractors and supervisors and recognizes technician certification for ITI, the Testing and Balancing Institute for Certification (TABIC) and the State of Illinois test and balance certification (SMARTA).

Shepherding TABB Certification from concept to launch took a full two years of preparation, Emblem explained. "To the last detail, we had to ensure this certification program was grounded in the most sound and technologically advanced policies and procedures. Assuring our industry colleagues TABB Certification was credible and equal to if not better than other certifications was critical . . . this took time."

The engineers and contractors participating in the seminar are of critical importance to the success of the TABB Certification program since they are the industry professionals who are able to write TABB into building specifications. "Many engineers use boiler plate specifications for building environmental systems. Often, after the initial installation, these systems are not tested, adjusted or balanced to meet peak efficiency. By specifying the utilization of TABB Certified technicians, contractors and supervisors, they ensure their customers receive a product at the highest levels of quality," Emblem explained, while emphasizing the importance of getting feedback from the engineering community about what they want and need.

Also discussed at the seminar was how changing markets are increasing the need for testing and balancing. Market trends and issues in which testing and balancing will be increasingly more important in commercial buildings include:

• Health issues and indoor air quality (IAQ)
• Fears of bioterrorism such as anthrax in ventilation systems
• Energy conservation
• Comfort issues that can affect worker productivity
• Advanced building technologies such as building automation, direct digital controls and variable frequency drives.

According to the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), more than $50 billion a year is spent on HVAC energy in the United States. A reason frequently cited by tenants for moving from a leased space is because it is to hot or too cold. Balancing and fine-tuning of HVAC systems can address many of these issues.

Similar events to introduce the TABB Certification program are planned this year in Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York (see page 8). The First Annual TABB Conference will be held on October 18-19, 2002, in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace, in conjunction with the SMACNA Annual Convention.