Why it matters

Air balancing is the foundation of a predictable, stable building.

Design intent and actual operation rarely match without proper testing, adjusting, and balancing. Air balancing verifies and documents that your HVAC systems are delivering correct airflow and maintaining appropriate pressures under real-world conditions—giving you predictable comfort, safer spaces, and a defensible baseline for future changes.

Thermal comfort & complaints

Hot and cold spots, drafts, and “that one room that never feels right” are almost always symptoms of unbalanced airflow or incorrect system operation—not just thermostat issues.

Pressure relationships & safety

In healthcare and other critical spaces, incorrect pressure relationships can compromise infection control, containment, and regulatory compliance. In commercial buildings, they drive stack effect, odour migration, and door issues.

Energy & equipment impact

Systems that are not properly balanced run inefficiently, consume more energy, and can shorten equipment life as fans and coils are pushed outside intended conditions to compensate for unknown imbalances.

Common issues

If you’re seeing these symptoms, you likely need air balancing.

Most of these issues can’t be solved by guessing at setpoints or adjusting diffusers. They require measured data and deliberate balancing under design and off-design conditions.

Hot and cold spots across a floor or between seasons
Drafts, uncomfortable corridors, or “wind tunnel” entrances
Underperforming exhaust, stale air, or odour complaints
VAV boxes that never seem to respond or track setpoints properly

Rooms not maintaining required positive or negative pressure (isolation, pharmacy, lab, procedure spaces)
Winter / summer stack effect problems at entrances or shafts
New projects or renovations that never “settled in” and keep generating complaints
“Everything should be fine” according to equipment data, but it clearly isn’t in the field

Our process

A structured, documented TAB process built for real buildings.

Air & Water Precision Balancing doesn’t “tweak until it feels better.” We follow a repeatable, documented process so that owners, consultants, and facilities teams have confidence in the final results—and a clear record of how the system actually performs.

Step 1

Assessment & review

We review design documents, equipment schedules, recent changes, and known issues, then confirm operating modes and constraints with your team before testing starts.

Step 2

Field testing & measurements

We take measured readings at key terminals, shafts, and critical rooms to establish the actual starting point of the system under realistic operating conditions.

Step 3

Adjusting & optimization

We systematically adjust the system to bring airflows and pressures within design tolerances or agreed performance targets, from primary equipment down to terminals.

Step 4

Verification & TAB report

Final readings are documented in a formal TAB report, highlighting achieved values, variances, constraints, and any recommendations for further action—for both day-to-day operation and future projects.

Sectors we support

Built for healthcare, applied across critical and commercial facilities.

Our roots are in healthcare and other environments where air performance is not a “nice to have.” The same disciplined approach translates directly into stable, predictable operation in commercial and institutional buildings across Ontario.

Healthcare & critical environments

Hospitals and acute care facilities
Pharmacies and compounding (e.g. USP 797 / 800 environments)
Laboratories and procedure spaces
Isolation rooms, ORs, and pressure-critical suites
Long-term care and senior living

Commercial & institutional buildings

Office towers, corporate campuses, and mixed-use buildings
Educational facilities and campuses
Retail centres, commercial plazas, and public buildings
Renovations, fit-outs, and change-of-use projects
Buildings struggling with stack effect or seasonal instability

Outcomes

What you actually get from a proper air balance.

The goal isn’t a stack of readings. It’s a building that behaves predictably and documentation that stands up to scrutiny from consultants, regulators, and internal stakeholders—whether you run a hospital, an office tower, or a campus.

Verified performance

Documented airflow at key terminals and spaces
Confirmed pressure relationships for critical rooms and floors
System behaviour validated in normal operating modes

Reduced risk & noise

Fewer recurring comfort and airflow complaints
Better alignment with healthcare and ventilation standards where applicable
Clear evidence if issues are design, installation, or operational

Clear documentation

Independent TAB report suitable for consultant and regulatory review
Highlighted deficiencies and constraints—not just pass/fail
A baseline for future troubleshooting, upgrades, and projects

When to engage TAB

A simple rule: if you’re guessing, you need air balancing.

You don’t need to diagnose the problem yourself. If you’re seeing persistent symptoms and you’re not working from measured airflow and pressure data, it’s time to bring in an independent TAB specialist.

Operational triggers (commercial & institutional)

Ongoing temperature complaints that don’t respond to minor adjustments
Entrance doors difficult to open in winter or summer
Floors that behave very differently between seasons
Renovations or tenant changes completed with no documented TAB

Critical environment triggers (healthcare & labs)

Isolation rooms, pharmacies, or labs not holding their pressure setpoints
New or renovated critical spaces approaching occupancy or inspection
Repeat issues where it’s unclear if the root cause is design, installation, or operation
Need for an independent third-party opinion separate from installers and controls contractors

Independence & standards

Independent, standards-aligned TAB you can put in front of a regulator.

Our role is to provide objective data and clear documentation. We operate as an independent balancing firm so that owners and consultants can rely on our results without conflicts of interest—in both commercial and healthcare environments.

AABC/CAABC-certified TAB

As an AABC/CAABC-certified firm, we follow established TAB procedures and documentation standards that support consistent, repeatable results across different building and system types.

Healthcare ventilation alignment

For healthcare projects, our work aligns with applicable ventilation guidelines and standards, supporting your broader compliance and infection-control strategies.

FAQ

Air balancing questions we get all the time.

Straight answers to the basics. If your situation is more complex than this, that’s usually the sign you need proper TAB.

How long does air balancing take? Show

It depends on the size and complexity of the system, access restrictions, and how far the system is from design. A small, defined scope can be completed in a day; large or highly critical projects can take significantly longer. We estimate duration after reviewing your drawings, systems, and operational constraints.

How often should a building be re-balanced? Show

There’s no single interval that fits all buildings. Triggers include: major renovations, tenant changes, significant equipment replacements, repeated comfort or pressure issues, and changes in use. In healthcare, certain spaces warrant more frequent checks based on risk and regulatory expectations.

Can air balancing fix pressure issues in non-healthcare buildings? Show

Often, yes. Many pressure problems in offices, mixed-use buildings, and institutional facilities are driven by imbalanced supply/exhaust or incorrect operation. TAB helps identify where the pressure drivers actually are and what can be done about them.

Can air balancing fix stack effect problems? Show

Stack effect is a building-scale pressure phenomenon. Air balancing on its own can’t change physics, but it is essential to understanding how airflows and pressures are contributing. We often combine TAB with stack effect analysis to develop practical, building-specific mitigation strategies.

Do you work on VAV, CAV, and mixed systems? Show

Yes. We regularly balance VAV, CAV, DOAS, and hybrid systems in both healthcare and commercial settings. The process is adapted to the control strategies and operating modes of each system.

Will we receive a formal TAB report? Show

Yes. Our deliverable is an independent TAB report that documents measured values, variances, constraints, and recommendations. It’s written to be useful to owners, consultants, facilities teams, and regulators.

Related services

Air balancing is one piece of the picture.

Water Balancing

Hydronic balancing to ensure coils, risers, and loops are seeing the flows they were designed for.

View water balancing

HVAC Audits

Air and water (hydronic) flow testing for baseline testing prior to upgrades or post-upgrades to verify return to normalcy.

View HVAC auditing services

Cleanroom & Critical Room TAB

Focused balancing and verification for pharmacies, labs, isolation rooms, and other critical spaces.

View critical room TAB

Also see our Stack Effect Simulator for a visual way to think about building pressure behaviour in different seasons.

Next step

If your building is guessing at airflows and pressures, it’s time to get real data.

We provide independent, AABC/CAABC-certified TAB for commercial, institutional, and healthcare facilities across Toronto and Ontario. You don’t need to solve the problem on your own—just bring us the symptoms.

Request Air Balancing

Air Balancing Services Across Toronto & Ontario