AABC Annual Meeting – Meeting Program
Wednesday, October 9th
Registration
- 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- The Baron's Ballroom Foyer
AABC Open Golf Tournament
- 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Golf Club
- Lost Pines
Shotgun starts at 8:00 am. Rental Clubs – $85 plus tax.
Get Acquainted Reception
- 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
- Pecan Court & Terrace
Thursday, October 10th
All sessions will take place in the Baron’s Ballroom.
Breakfast
- 7:00 am – 8:00 am
- Pecan Court
General Business Session
- 8:00 am – 9:30 am
Coffee Break
- 9:30 am – 9:45 am
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
- 9:45 am – 10:45 am
Relative Humidity Levels in Operating Rooms: The Effect on the Contamination Levels
Dr. Jennifer Wagner, Onsite, LLC
Ensuring an aseptic airborne environment in the operating room is crucial to reducing microbial and particle contamination during surgery. This study aimed to determine if certain levels of relative humidity (RH) improve the OR air delivery system’s effectiveness at clearing contamination from critical zones. Using the Environmental Quality Indicator (EQI) method, we tested RH levels of 20%, 35%, and 50% over three days in two orthopedic ORs. Results showed that RH levels of 35% and 50% were statistically cleaner in terms of microbial contaminants compared to 20%.
- 10:45 am – 11:40 am
AABC Technology Theater
- Instruments Direct: 10:45 – 11:00
- Retrotec: 11:05 – 11:20
- Ameritech Data Solutions: 11:25 – 11:40
Lunch
- 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
- Pecan Court
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
- 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm
Impact of Pressure on Building Systems Performance
Wade H. Conlan, P.E., CxA, LEED AP, Hanson Professional Services, ASHRAE
Sarah E. Maston, P.E., LEED AP, Colliers Project Leaders, ASHRAE
This session is meant to discuss how pressure in duct systems, spaces, buildings, and across components impacts the commissioning process and successes. Duct leakage in new and existing buildings is a potential source of wasted system energy and performance that can be mitigated. Pressure drops across components, such as an existing cooling coil, can greatly reduce the AHUs ability to condition the spaces. This session will discuss different requirements for duct sealing, pressure readings, and overall systems performance in relation to these items.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand the impact of duct leakage on AHU performance.
- Understand the impact of coil pressure drops on system performance.
- Understand the building enclosure pressure differential on system energy.
- Understand the requirements of the different organizations for duct classification.
- 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Open Wire Electric Heaters – How They Work and How They Don’t
Open wire electric heaters have been used for comfort heating for decades, but their controls have become more sophisticated. These controls manage normal operations and protect against abnormal conditions. This talk will demonstrate how to set and adjust airflows and temperatures to protect structures and occupants while avoiding excessive noise.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand the importance of airflow in cooling electric heaters to prevent overheating.
- Learn about the role of copper wires in conducting heat within electric heaters.
- Identify safety mechanisms that prevent electric heaters from overheating.
- Gain insights into the testing procedures that ensure safe operation of electric heaters and recognize the potential for noise if not properly applied.
Coffee Break
- 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
- 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Field Leadership and Management: Making the transition from TAB Technician to Supervisor
Justin Garner, PE, TBE, CxA, Engineered Air Balance Co., Inc.
Stan Spaulding, The Achilles Group
At a previous AABC Annual Meeting, we discussed the career path of TAB professionals and the need to develop new talent. This session will focus on the leadership and management expectations of a TAB field supervisor, covering techniques to develop leadership skills, address project challenges, and outline management skills for scheduling, reporting, and scope definition on TAB projects.
- 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
Policies and Procedures & Ethics Presentation
AABC Executive Committee
Members Only.
Archery and Picnic
- 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
- Wildflower Pavilion
Friday, October 11th
Breakfast
- 7:00 am – 8:00 am
- Pecan Court
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am
The Art of the Change Order
Jeremy Johnson, American Testing, Inc.
Benjiman Link, United Testing & Balancing, Inc.
Test and Balance businesses rely on efficient manpower to succeed and remain profitable. This presentation will focus on optimizing time management, refining business processes, and addressing lost labor time. We will discuss when to minimize change orders and strategies for successfully writing and securing them.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand importance of utilizing daily project logs with descriptions of work performed.
- How to effectively and efficiently communicate with employees and clients
- How to successfully write and receive change order awards
- Discuss business and management processes that impact companies of different sizes and work performance capabilities
Coffee Break
- 9:00 am – 9:15 am
- 9:15 am – 10:15 am
- 9:15 am - 10:15 am
Enhanced Outdoor Airflow Measurement Improves Buildings
Josh Renegar, EBTRON
Management and control of outdoor air is important not only for the building occupants, but for the buildings as well. This course will cover industry updates to outside airflow measurement, factors affecting outside airflow measurement, technology comparisons, and best practices as a TAB professional. It will dive into outdoor airflow rate determination methods and how to improve these strategies due to the dynamic nature of HVAC system caused by issues like wind effect, stack effect, as well as system induced effects. Not all technologies are properly suited for outdoor airflow measurement and all technologies have limitations. This presentation will discuss these issues and the “best practice” approach to measurement, calibration, and verification of outdoor air intake flow rates.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand factors that influence outdoor intake flow rate variations such as, wind effect, stack effect and fan speed changes
- Methods for OA intake determination and how to improve current strategies
- How to correctly apply current airflow measurement technologies used in HVAC applications
- Learn a “best-practice” approach to field measurement and understand when verification, rather than calibration may be the best solution for many applications
- 10:15 am – 11:15 am
Document Control – Exploring TAB Workflow and Software Solutions
Implementing document control workflows and software solutions can greatly enhance information transfer from project startup to final reporting. This presentation will showcase methods to ensure teams have the most current project documentation, provide an in-depth look at using Bluebeam for consistent takeoffs and robust as-builts, and present Autodesk Construction Cloud workflows that empower teams both on and off the jobsite.
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand workflows for gathering and accessing up-to-date project documents and identifying the correct contact for document sharing in construction teams.
- Learn how to use Bluebeam for identifying plan revisions and potential scope modifications.
- Discover how to utilize Bluebeam for takeoff needs, including tool chests, user settings, and tips for efficient markups and data extraction.
- Explore using Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) Build for field TAB and Cx activities, including issue tracking, photo documentation, and creating effective communication workflows for final reporting.
- 11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Sponsor and Exhibitor Showcase
Join the exhibitor presentation featuring drawings and giveaways!
Celebration Dinner
- 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- LBJ Pavilion
