HECS — Home Energy & Comfort Solutions
Independent third-party HVAC testing, energy certification, and FORTIFIED evaluation for the Midwest.
Founded 2009 · NCI-certified on every project · Louisville, KY · Serving KY, NC, AL, GA, WV, KS & MO
HECS in numbers
Since 2009, HECS has grown from a one-person TAB firm into the Midwest’s most rigorous independent third-party testing, energy certification, and FORTIFIED evaluation practice.
17
Years in business
Founded May 2009
3
NCI-certified field techs
Every tech on every project
6
States served
KY · NC · AL · GA · WV · KS · MO
100%
First-submission acceptance
Reports that close the project
Why HECS exists
HECS was founded in 2009 on a simple observation: most HVAC testing in the Midwest was being done by the same contractors who installed the equipment. When a balancing report is signed by the same company that profits from the install, the report is a formality — not a measurement. Affordable housing developers, code officials, and program administrators were getting paperwork that was hard to defend in an audit.
John Sabbak, HECS’s founder, built the firm to be the third party the region was missing. NCI certification is the industry’s most rigorous standard for HVAC measurement, and HECS adopted it from day one. Every project we touch is tested, documented, and reported by a tech who has no financial stake in the equipment sale. That independence is the entire premise of the business.
Seventeen years later, HECS is a three-person team of NCI-certified field techs serving Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Missouri. We work on affordable housing developments, multifamily projects, K-12 schools, healthcare facilities, and commercial buildings. Our reports are read by code officials, tax credit syndicators, energy program administrators, IBHS certification reviewers, and courtroom experts. Every report has to hold up the first time it’s read — and ours do.
We started with HVAC testing and balancing. Over time, our clients asked for more: blower door and duct leakage for ENERGY STAR and NGBS, energy certification for green programs, engineered utility allowances for LIHTC properties, FORTIFIED roof evaluations for insurance-driven projects. We added each of those services because our clients needed a single, audit-grade testing partner they could trust across every certification on their project. Today, HECS is a one-stop shop for the testing, verification, and documentation work that closes a Midwest building project.
What HECS does
Four testing and certification practices, one team. HECS delivers the field work, the documentation, and the program submittals that close a Midwest building project.
How HECS works
From the first call to the final report. The same five-step process on every project — adapted to the program of record, the building type, and your schedule.
1
Call or send plans
Call (502) 643-7160 or email john@hecsusa.com with the program, the building type, and the rough-in / final schedule. Most scoping calls take under an hour.
2
Fixed quote in 24 hours
You get a fixed-fee proposal — not an estimate, not a T&M. Per-project, per-building, or per-unit pricing, depending on the program. No hidden travel fees.
3
Pre-test coordination
We coordinate with the GC, the mechanical contractor, the ENERGY STAR Rater, and the code official. We confirm readiness, schedule site visits, and confirm the program of record.
4
NCI-certified field work
A HECS NCI-certified tech performs the testing on site. Calibrated equipment, NCI-formatted documentation, and a single point of contact for the GC throughout the engagement.
5
Audit-ready report
The HECS report is delivered in the format the program of record requires — AABC, NEBB, NCI, RESNET 380, ENERGY STAR, NGBS, IBHS, or your jurisdiction. Reports pass first submission.
Why clients hire HECS
We are not the cheapest testing firm in the region. We are the one whose reports close projects on the first submission and hold up in an audit.
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NCI-certified, every tech
All three HECS field techs hold current NCI Certified Commercial Air Balancer credentials. The person who signs your report is the person who took the readings.
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Independent third party
HECS has no financial stake in the equipment, the install, or the certification program. We test what was installed — not what was designed. That independence is the whole point.
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Audit-ready documentation
Every report is built to withstand the audit trail: program of record, methodology, calibrated equipment, raw readings, photos, and a signed certification. Pass first submission.
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17 years of field work
HECS has been verifying Midwest buildings since 2009. We have worked through every revision of every program we support. Our techs know what a code official wants to see on the first read.
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One-stop shop
TAB, blower door, energy certification, FORTIFIED, 45L, engineered utility allowances, decibel testing, thermal imaging, and radon — under one contract, with one project manager.
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Midwest-based, on-site fast
HECS is based in Louisville, Kentucky. We are within a 4-hour drive of every major project in our service area. No remote-shop overhead, no inflated travel fees.
Who HECS works with
HECS works on projects where independent verification matters most. Our clients hire us because the report has to hold up — to a code official, a program administrator, or a court.
🏘️
Affordable housing developers
LIHTC, HOME, NHTF, AHP and other affordable housing development projects that need NCI TAB, blower door, energy certification, FORTIFIED, and engineered utility allowances under one roof — the full audit-grade stack for affordable housing.
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General contractors & mechanicals
GCs and HVAC subs on large commercial, multifamily, and institutional projects. HECS verifies the install, signs the schedule with your team, and inputs your client can sign off on without a punch list.
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Code officials & program admins
Code officials, state energy offices, ENERGY STAR Multifamily Rater Path verifiers, NGBS certification staff, and HVAC II — read the reports HECS produces. They know our documentation is built for the program because it is built for them.
📐
Architects & engineers
Design partners who need a third-party testing firm that will read the design, not the marketing. Pre-design consultation, submittal review, and design vision-versus-actual performance delta reports for projects behind schedule.
Service area
HECS is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and serves six states across the Midwest and mid-South. We travel to your project — and we are local enough to follow up without delay.
Kentucky
Louisville
Lexington
Bowling Green
Owensboro
Frankfort
Northern Kentucky
Indiana
Indianapolis
Evansville
New Albany
Jeffersonville
Bloomington
Fort Wayne
Ohio
Cincinnati
Columbus
Cleveland
Dayton
Toledo
Akron
Tennessee
Nashville
Knoxville
Memphis
Chattanooga
Clarksville
Cookeville
Illinois
Chicago
Springfield
Champaign
Peoria
Carbondale
Missouri
St. Louis
Kansas City
Springfield
Columbia
Jefferson City
Frequently asked questions about HECS
The questions we get most often from new clients, code officials, and program administrators.
How long has HECS been in business?
HECS was founded in May 2009 by John Sabbak. The firm has been continuously operating in the Midwest for 17 years, working through every major revision of every program we support (ENERGY STAR, NGBS, NCI, AABC, NEBB, RESNET 380, IBHS FORTIFIED, and the program).
Where is HECS based, and what’s your service area?
HECS is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and serves Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Missouri. Most projects are within a 4-hour drive of our office. For projects outside that radius, we travel — and the travel cost is quoted up front in the proposal, never as a surprise on the invoice.
What certifications does HECS hold?
Every HECS field tech holds the NCI Certified Commercial Air Balancer credential. John Sabbak is also an IBHS-trained FORTIFIED Home Evaluator. HECS is an active ENERGY STAR Multifamily Reviewer (Rater Path), an NGBS Green Certified Verifier, an EarthCraft inspector, a RESNET-certified HERS Rater, and a registered 45L certifier.
How does HECS handle pricing?
Every HECS engagement is a fixed-fee proposal, not an estimate and not T&M. You get a per-project, per-building, or per-unit quote depending on the program of record — usually within 24 hours of the scoping call. There are no hidden travel fees and no surprise change orders. Call (502) 643-7160 for a project-specific quote.
Can HECS partner with my firm?
Yes. HECS regularly partners with engineering firms, architects, general contractors, ENERGY STAR Raters, and code consultants on projects where independent verification is required. We offer referral fees, subcontracting opportunities, and design-plus-verification partnerships. Email john@hecsusa.com or call (502) 643-7160 to start a partnership conversation.
Does HECS do design work, or only third-party testing?
HECS is a third-party testing, balancing, and certification firm. We do not perform HVAC design or installation. The value we provide is independent measurement and documentation — which is exactly what the program of record, the code official, and the auditor are looking for. We can review designs against the program requirements before construction and flag issues that would cause a failure on first submission.
Partner with HECS
HECS works with a small, vetted set of partner firms across the Midwest. If you refer salary projects to an NCI-certified testing partner, or you are an architect or engineer who wants a third-party verification arm for your design practice, HECS is a fit.
Say your name, firm, location, and a sentence or two about how you work with HECS. We coordinate design and verification under one contract. Call (502) 643-7160 or email john@hecsusa.com to start a partnership conversation.
Join the HECS team
HECS is a three-person team today. As our service area grows, we hire NCI-certified field techs who want to do audit-grade work for clients who care about the report. NCI Certification (or willingness to obtain it within 12 months) is required. Field experience in HVAC, TAB, blower door, or energy certification is required.
If you are an NCI-certified tech looking to leave a mechanical contractor or a national testing firm for a smaller, owner-operated practice — we want to hear from you. Email your résumé to john@hecsusa.com with the subject line “HECS field tech application”.
Ready to work with HECS?
Send your plans or call to scope the project. Most scoping calls take under an hour. We deliver a fixed-fee proposal within 24 hours.
(502) 643-7160 · john@hecsusa.com