True Power Systems · Consulting Engineers
True Power Systems delivers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for Alabama architects, developers, and building operators. HVAC load and ventilation design, power distribution, plumbing and process piping, PE-stamped and coordinated in Revit.
Code Summary · Alabama
These are the editions Alabama actually enforces, verified against State Building Code, Alabama Building Commission. Drawings coordinated to the wrong edition fail plan review; ours are designed to these.
| Discipline | Adopted edition |
|---|---|
| Building | 2021 International Building Code Building Commission jurisdiction; amended 2025 to add select 2024 IBC sections |
| Mechanical | 2021 International Mechanical Code Building Commission jurisdiction; adopted locally for private work |
| Plumbing | 2021 International Plumbing Code Building Commission jurisdiction; no statewide installation code for private work |
| Electrical | 2020 National Electrical Code Building Commission jurisdiction; adopted locally for private work |
| Energy | 2015 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2013 mandatory statewide for commercial buildings, either compliance path |
| Fuel gas | 2021 International Fuel Gas Code Building Commission jurisdiction |
| Accessibility | 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design |
| Existing buildings | 2021 International Existing Building Code Building Commission jurisdiction |
Adopted and enforced by the Alabama Building Commission, Division of Construction Management (DCM). Source: State Building Code, Alabama Building Commission
Design Criteria
ASHRAE Zones 2A / 3A
hot-humid
Alabama sits in ASHRAE zones 2A and 3A, hot and humid, with a long cooling season and a short mild winter. Latent load governs: dehumidification capacity, part-load performance, and pressure control matter more here than peak sensible tonnage, and undersized latent capacity is the most common failure we are asked to fix.
Project Locations
Plan Review Notes
Alabama is not a single-code state, and pretending otherwise is how out-of-state design teams get caught. There is no general statewide building code for private commercial construction: cities and counties adopt and enforce their own editions, so the governing code can differ between Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile. Confirming the adopted edition with the authority having jurisdiction is the first step on any Alabama project, and we do it before design starts.
The Alabama Building Commission adopts and enforces codes for the buildings inside its jurisdiction, which includes state-owned and state-funded property, K-12 and public postsecondary schools, hotels and motels, and movie theaters. Those projects follow the 2021 International Building Code and the companion 2021 mechanical, plumbing, and fuel gas codes, amended in 2025 to pull in select 2024 IBC provisions.
One requirement does run statewide: the commercial energy code. Commercial buildings outside Building Commission jurisdiction must comply with the 2015 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2013, either path. Trade licensing is also statewide even where installation codes are local, with the electrical and plumbing and gas boards licensing on current model-code editions. Every Alabama deliverable True Power Systems issues is sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state.
Services Schedule · Alabama
Full MEP scope under one roof, scheduled the way you'd schedule equipment. Every line ships sealed by a Alabama-licensed PE.
| Mark | Service | Scope | Basis of design |
|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | Mechanical & HVAC Design | Load and ventilation design, ductwork and air distribution, control sequences, and energy modeling. Sized for the Alabama climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from. | 2021 International Mechanical Code · ASHRAE 62.1 · ASHRAE 90.1 |
| E-1 | Electrical Design | Power distribution, lighting and branch circuiting, service and gear sizing, emergency and standby power, and EV charging infrastructure. Documented so the electrical contractor is not guessing at intent. | 2020 National Electrical Code · NECA |
| P-1 | Plumbing Design | Domestic water and sanitary, hot water recirculation, natural gas and propane piping, specialty and process piping, and compressed air. Designed to the code Alabama actually enforces, which is not always the model code. | 2021 International Plumbing Code |
| C-1 | Revit & BIM Coordination | Modeled in Revit and coordinated against the architectural and structural models, with clash detection run before the drawings leave our office. Conflicts get resolved on screen instead of in the ceiling. | Revit · AutoCAD MEP · Bluebeam |
| ES-1 | Power System Studies | Arc flash, short-circuit, coordination, harmonic, and load flow studies when a Alabama project needs the electrical design backed by analysis. The same engineers who design the system model it. | NFPA 70E · IEEE 1584 · IEEE 519 |
| CA-1 | Construction Support | Shop drawing review, RFI response, utility coordination, field observation, and commissioning support. We stay on the project after the permit set, because that is when most of the questions arrive. | Construction administration |
Load and ventilation design, ductwork and air distribution, control sequences, and energy modeling. Sized for the Alabama climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from.
2021 International Mechanical Code · ASHRAE 62.1 · ASHRAE 90.1
Power distribution, lighting and branch circuiting, service and gear sizing, emergency and standby power, and EV charging infrastructure. Documented so the electrical contractor is not guessing at intent.
2020 National Electrical Code · NECA
Domestic water and sanitary, hot water recirculation, natural gas and propane piping, specialty and process piping, and compressed air. Designed to the code Alabama actually enforces, which is not always the model code.
2021 International Plumbing Code
Modeled in Revit and coordinated against the architectural and structural models, with clash detection run before the drawings leave our office. Conflicts get resolved on screen instead of in the ceiling.
Revit · AutoCAD MEP · Bluebeam
Arc flash, short-circuit, coordination, harmonic, and load flow studies when a Alabama project needs the electrical design backed by analysis. The same engineers who design the system model it.
NFPA 70E · IEEE 1584 · IEEE 519
Shop drawing review, RFI response, utility coordination, field observation, and commissioning support. We stay on the project after the permit set, because that is when most of the questions arrive.
Construction administration
Legend · Who We Work With
If your work touches buildings in Alabama, one of these is you. Architects lead most of our engagements; contractors and owners come to us directly just as often.
We run the MEP scope as a consultant to the architect on Alabama projects, from concept through construction administration. One engineering team across mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, coordinated in your model.
MEP design for Alabama ground-up projects, tenant fit-outs, and building repositioning. We size systems against a real pro forma, so the mechanical scope is not the line item that blows the budget at bid.
Engineering support for Alabama mechanical and plumbing contractors who need sealed drawings, load calculations, or equipment selection on a design-build job. We work to your means and methods rather than against them.
Process-support HVAC, industrial ventilation and dust collection, compressed air, and process piping for Alabama plants and food processing facilities. Designed around the production line, not around a template.
Cooling and power design for Alabama data centers and mission-critical rooms, including redundancy strategy, capacity planning, and the electrical analysis that has to back the design.
MEP design for Alabama healthcare, K-12, and higher education facilities, where ventilation requirements, pressure relationships, and life-safety systems drive the design and the review.
Alabama Market Data
7,075
Manufacturing
285,185 workers
20,979
Healthcare & social assistance
300,538 workers
3,739
Educational services
172,021 workers
1,421
Data centers & hosting
3,867 workers
160,887 total Alabama establishments · establishment counts per sector statewide: the market, not a client list. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages
Keynotes · Why TPS
The reasons design teams keep us on the next project, keyed like notes on a plan.
A single engineering team carries all three disciplines, so coordination happens inside one office instead of across three subconsultants. One contract, one point of responsibility, one set.
We model in your environment and run clash detection against the architectural and structural models before drawings go out. Conflicts get resolved on screen, not in the ceiling.
The editions on sheet G-001 are what we design to, verified against the state’s own publication. Plan review goes smoother when the drawings and the reviewer read the same book.
Arc flash, short-circuit, and coordination studies come from the same engineers who design the distribution. Most MEP firms sub this out; we consider it part of the electrical scope.
Shop drawing review, RFI response, and field observation are in the fee, because most of a project’s hard questions arrive during construction, not design.
Included With Every Project
Firm Data
Design tools: Revit · AutoCAD MEP · Carrier HAP · Trane TRACE 3D Plus · Bluebeam
General Notes · Alabama
The questions Alabama design teams and owners ask before they hire us, answered the way we'd note them on a set.
Not for private commercial construction. The Alabama Building Commission adopts codes for buildings in its jurisdiction, including state-owned and state-funded property, schools, hotels, and theaters, while cities and counties adopt and enforce their own editions for private work. The governing code can therefore differ from one jurisdiction to the next, which is why we confirm the adopted edition with the authority having jurisdiction before design starts.
This is the requirement that does apply statewide. Commercial buildings outside Building Commission jurisdiction must comply with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code or ASHRAE 90.1-2013, and either can serve as the compliance path.
Projects within Alabama Building Commission jurisdiction, which covers state-owned and state-funded buildings, K-12 and public postsecondary schools, hotels and motels, and movie theaters, follow the 2021 International Building Code along with the companion 2021 mechanical, plumbing, and fuel gas codes, amended in 2025 to incorporate select 2024 IBC sections.
Alabama sits in ASHRAE climate zones 2A and 3A, hot-humid, with a long cooling season and a short mild winter. Latent load governs the design, so dehumidification capacity, part-load performance, and building pressure control matter more than peak sensible tonnage.
Construction documents used for permit must be sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Alabama. True Power Systems holds an active Alabama PE license and stamps every Alabama deliverable.
Yes. Most of our work comes in as a consultant to the architect, carrying mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design from concept through construction administration. We model in Revit and coordinate against the architectural and structural models so conflicts surface before they reach the field.
Transmittal · Fee Proposal Request
Send drawings, a program, or two sentences about the project. You'll hear back from a person, usually the same business day.
True Power Systems
Scott Mann
Alabama MEP · Fee Proposal
Direct Lines
Ben True, P.E. · Principal
ben@truepowersystems.comNot in Alabama? TPS is PE-licensed in AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, ND, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI. Find your state →
