What is an air balance?

An air balance is fundamentally about achieving an optimal distribution of air throughout an HVAC system. This process involves measuring the amount of air being delivered to and removed from different areas within a building to ensure that the airflow meets the design specifications and provides comfort to occupants. The goal of air balancing is to avoid issues like hot or cold spots, ensure proper ventilation, and maintain efficiency in heating and cooling operations.

In practice, this process can involve the use of specialized tools such as anemometers to measure airflow rates at different registers and diffusers, and adjustments may be made to dampers or fans to achieve the desired air distribution. Such adjustments are essential for maintaining indoor air quality and comfort levels, which is particularly important in environments with fluctuating occupancy or varying heat loads.

While energy consumption, refrigerant levels, and energy efficiency ratings are important aspects of HVAC systems, they do not directly address the specific task of ensuring balanced airflow within a building, which is the focus of air balancing.