Independence: What Is It, And Why Does It Matter?

Author: Cassie LaJeunesse, Editor & Publications Specialist

America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4, 2026. At AABC, we put independence at the forefront every single day. To AABC and its membership, independence means work without bias — the testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) companies who make up AABC do not have any affiliation with contractors, installers, manufacturers, or design engineering firms, allowing them to provide unbiased test and balance services without the potential for conflicts of interest.

“Independence is the key differentiator that has always and will always set AABC apart,” said Ray Bert, executive director of AABC. “There is no other test and balance certification you can specify that guarantees that the company reporting on the quality and performance of an HVAC system installation didn’t also install that system.”

In 1965, AABC was founded by a group who believed that the testing and balancing of HVAC systems should be executed by professionals who both understood the intricacies of these systems and had no competing interests in the project. Integrity and independence were the foundational principles for these pioneers who sought to make accurate, unbiased reports the standard in testing, adjusting, and balancing.

“To those contractors, manufacturers and control companies that are interested in producing better jobs, we are not a menace, but are considered an ally and they welcome our existence,” AABC’s first president and then–national director Arnold Pearl wrote in a summary of the organization’s 1970 national convention.

Independence was the cornerstone of AABC’s founding, and over 60 years later, it remains paramount to our members’ work. One of the first pieces of the AABC membership application process is a desk review of the application that includes verification of independence by the AABC Board. Over the years, AABC has encouraged building owners and project managers to specify independence in their TAB specifications, fought for city regulations that require an independent TAB company to stamp a report, and rejected changes to AABC policies that might jeopardize the commitment to independence.

The lack of bias guaranteed by hiring an independent AABC member company gives building owners and project managers peace of mind and the knowledge that the final TAB report they receive will be accurate and free from outside influence. Interested in learning more about AABC or finding an independent TAB provider near you? Check out aabc.com.