Getting the air flow right is critical in today’s higher performance HVAC systems. You can invest increasing amounts of money in filtering, conditioning, and cooling a given parcel of air. But if it’s not delivered where you need it, when you need it, in the right amount…then that’s money not well spent.
Airflow is one of the three most important parameters in HVAC (along with temperature and moisture). You can’t win a race if you don’t know where the starting line is. Similarly, you can’t tell if any HVAC system is functioning properly if you don't start with an airflow measurement.
Test and Balance (TAB) is an important part of ensuring any HVAC system is delivering the right amount of air at the right locations. As air is re-routed, as temperature control points are adjusted, as different "zones" of control are activated, airflow is often changed to compensate. "Balancing" an HVAC system means adjusting airflows so the right amount of air gets to all locations to achieve uniform temperature control.
