©2026 This excerpt is taken from the article of the same name which appeared in ASHRAE Journal, vol. 68, No. 7, July 2026.
Commissioning Can Help Ensure IAQ Compliance at All Times
By Ross D. Montgomery, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE
Ross D. Montgomery, P.E., is the president of Quality Systems and Technology, Inc., in Florida.
Does your designed or installed HVAC system deliver the code-minimum outside air ventilation at all occupied times, which is required to ensure IAQ compliance? If you said, “yes, of course,” are you sure? Have you tested for that? Just because your testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) report says you are getting the specified outside air (OA) flows at maximum design conditions does not mean you are getting those OA flow minimums at day-to-day normal operating times (50%+ of the time) when design conditions and full thermal loads are not present. Trust but verify, using commissioning (Cx) functional performance testing and reporting. Doing so can help ensure IAQ compliance at all times.
Delivering adequate outside air ventilation in building spaces is crucial to meeting codes and standards. The minimum OA flows specified by the designers must be delivered at all occupied time periods to provide acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) for human occupants, improve cognition, minimize adverse health effects, enhance occupant comfort and satisfaction and maintain proper building pressurization.
HVAC engineers of record need airflow monitors (AFM) that are accurate, durable, calibrated and repeatable to demonstrate that installed outside air ventilation delivery systems can meet or exceed minimum compliance design standards and code ventilation flow rates for commercial buildings.
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