Ventilation Assessment & Fresh Air Verification | Chicago IAQ Services
Ensuring Healthy, Code-Compliant Indoor Air Quality for Chicagoland Buildings
Ventilation is the lungs of your building. Without verified fresh air intake and proper air balancing, your HVAC system is simply recirculating stale, contaminated air.
At Northwest Energy LLC, we treat Ventilation Assessment as a critical component of the Test and Air Balance (TAB) process. We provide precise measurement of outdoor air intake, exhaust rates, and building pressure to ensure your facility meets ASHRAE Standard 62.1 for acceptable indoor air quality.
Signs You Need Commercial Air Balancing
Is Your Building "Breathing" Correctly? Many commercial properties in Northern Illinois suffer from "Sick Building Syndrome" due to improper airflow. If you are experiencing these issues, you likely need a professional assessment:
High CO2 Levels: Causes occupant drowsiness ("the afternoon slump") and significantly reduces employee productivity.
Negative Building Pressure: Results in drafts, hard-to-open doors ("ghost doors"), and the infiltration of unfiltered outdoor air and soil gases.
Chemical Fumes: Common in salons and manufacturing. (Note: We provide specific 50 CFM Certification for Nail Salons required by Illinois code).
Lingering Odors: A sign that kitchen or restroom exhaust fans are underperforming or have broken belts.
Uncontrolled Humidity: Excess moisture leads to mold growth and discomfort, especially during humid Chicago summers.
Our Air Balancing & Assessment Process
We don't just guess airflow; we quantify it. Our technicians use calibrated instrumentation to verify that your system matches the mechanical engineer’s design specifications.
1. Fresh Air Intake Verification
Adequate outdoor air is required by code to dilute indoor contaminants. We measure the actual volume of fresh air entering your Rooftop Units (RTUs) or Makeup Air Units (MAUs) to ensure:
Dilution of Contaminants: Reduces airborne viruses, VOCs, and allergens.
Occupancy Compliance: We verify you are meeting the CFM-per-person requirements for your specific building type (e.g., schools in Naperville, offices in Hoffman Estates, or restaurants in Chicago).
2. Building Pressure Balancing (The "Ghost Door" Fix)
Balancing the relationship between Supply Air and Exhaust Air is vital for the health of the building envelope.
Preventing Negative Pressure: If your building exhausts more air than it brings in, it creates a vacuum. This draws in unconditioned air and humidity through cracks in the walls.
Preventing Excessive Positive Pressure: Too much pressure pushes conditioned air out through the walls, wasting energy and potentially causing moisture damage in the brickwork.
Industrial Focus: Do you manage a logistics facility? Read our case study on Solving Negative Pressure & Stratification in O'Hare Corridor Warehouses.
3. Exhaust System Performance
We verify that exhaust fans in restrooms, kitchens, and laboratories are removing stale air at the correct rate.
Moisture Control: Critical for Gyms and Locker Rooms to prevent mold.
Odor Removal: We ensure negative pressure in restrooms relative to hallways to contain odors.
Technical Air Balancing & Adjustment
We Fix the Problem at the Source. Once the assessment is complete, we perform the necessary air balancing adjustments to bring your system into compliance:
Damper Actuation: We adjust fresh air dampers and economizers to regulate intake volumes.
Fan Speed Modulation: We modify fan sheaves or VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) settings to achieve target airflow.
Diffuser Balancing: We verify that air is being distributed evenly to prevent hot/cold spots and stagnant zones.
The ROI of Proper Ventilation
Why Invest in a Professional Assessment?
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure your building meets local mechanical codes and IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) standards.
Energy Efficiency: Over-ventilating wastes energy by heating or cooling unnecessary outdoor air. We dial it in to the exact requirement—no more, no less.
Tenant Retention: Improved air quality leads to fewer complaints, healthier employees, and higher tenant satisfaction.
Cost Clarity: Worried about the expense? Read our guide on How Much a Test and Balance Costs to understand the pricing factors.
Frequently Asked Questions (IAQ)
What is ASHRAE 62.1? ASHRAE Standard 62.1 is the recognized standard for Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. It dictates how much fresh outdoor air must be brought into a building based on its size and occupancy.
Can air balancing reduce viruses in my office? Yes. By verifying proper Fresh Air Intake (Dilution), we ensure your HVAC system is flushing out contaminants rather than just recirculating them.
Why is my building humid even when the AC is on? This is often caused by Negative Pressure. If your building is sucking in humid outdoor air through the doors and windows, your AC unit cannot keep up. We balance the building pressure to stop this infiltration.
Schedule a Ventilation Verification
Suspect Your Building Has Poor Air Quality? Don't guess—verify. Contact Northwest Energy LLC for a comprehensive Commercial Air Balancing assessment.