Case Study: Room & Board
National TAB Intelligence was called to Room & Board to address concerns related to their HVAC performance that were impacting their overall retail experience.
Room & Board, a furniture retailer, was receiving complaints from their showroom team about difficulties shutting the door between their sales floor and back of house, as well as excessive ventilation noise coming from the door. Their facilities team reached out to NTi to evaluate their space and solve their issue.
Our technician arrived on site to perform a Revive, our service where we resolve issues an existing building is experiencing and improve its health. The technician performed the following steps:
Measured each air handler unit (AHU) to establish a total air flow
Adjusted the AHUs within the engineer’s design flow
Measured the outside air by traverse
Adjusted the outside air damper to below the design air volume to avoid over pressurizing the space
After testing the equipment and evaluating the store environment, the technician determined that there was a deficiency in the amount of transfer air between the front and back of house. As a result, the door leading into the back of house area had to remain open to prevent the whistling noise that was heard on the sales floor.
NTi calculated the required transfer grille area based on acceptable velocity range. An additional 18 square feet of transfer grille installation was recommended, including installation of an “L” shaped lined boot inside the back of house area to limit noise between the front and back of house.
Room & Board installed the additional transfer grilles per NTi’s recommendation and noticed the difference. Thanks to our precise recommendations and careful planning, the changes were immediately impactful without the need for a return trip. The showroom team was able to shut the back door without drafting issues and subsequent whistling, creating a more enjoyable shopping environment for their customers.
“The HVAC system at Room and Board Austin had been struggling with uneven air balance for many years. National TAB conducted a thorough evaluation of our system and identified the root causes of our issues. After implementing their recommendations, we have noticed a remarkable improvement. This has enhanced the shopping experience for our customers and created a more pleasant work environment for our team. The experience was exceptional, and I highly recommend their services to any business looking to optimize their HVAC system.” – Amy Tasch, Facilities Manager
