True Power Systems · Consulting Engineers
True Power Systems delivers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for Ohio architects, developers, and building operators. HVAC load and ventilation design, power distribution, plumbing and process piping, PE-stamped and coordinated in Revit.
Code Summary · Ohio
These are the editions Ohio actually enforces, verified against Ohio Administrative Code 4101, Ohio Board of Building Standards. Drawings coordinated to the wrong edition fail plan review; ours are designed to these.
| Discipline | Adopted edition |
|---|---|
| Building | 2024 Ohio Building Code based on the 2021 International Building Code |
| Mechanical | 2024 Ohio Mechanical Code based on the 2021 IMC, except Chapter 11 refrigeration, which is 2024 IMC |
| Plumbing | 2024 Ohio Plumbing Code based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code |
| Electrical | 2023 National Electrical Code enforced through Ohio Building Code Chapter 27 |
| Energy | 2021 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2019 either compliance path, with Ohio modifications |
| Fuel gas | 2021 International Fuel Gas Code applies as an Ohio Building Code referenced standard |
| Accessibility | ICC A117.1-2017 new, A117.1-2009 alterations |
| Existing buildings | 2024 Ohio Existing Building Code the 2021 IEBC with Ohio amendments, as OBC Chapter 34 |
Adopted and enforced by the Ohio Board of Building Standards (BBS). Source: Ohio Administrative Code 4101, Ohio Board of Building Standards
Design Criteria
ASHRAE Zones 4A / 5A
mixed-humid to cold
Ohio sits across zones 4A and 5A, cold enough that heating drives equipment selection and humid enough that the cooling season still needs real latent capacity. Ventilation air tempering and freeze protection matter here in a way they do not in the South.
Project Locations
Plan Review Notes
Ohio adopts its commercial construction codes through the Board of Building Standards, and they apply statewide to every in-scope building. Certified municipal, county, and township building departments enforce them, and local rules cannot conflict with the state code, so the technical requirements do not change from one jurisdiction to the next.
The current set is the 2024 Ohio codes, in force since March 2024 and amended in October 2025. The building, mechanical, and plumbing codes are based on the 2021 International Codes, while electrical work follows the 2023 National Electrical Code, which puts Ohio ahead of several neighboring states on the electrical side.
One Ohio detail is worth knowing before mechanical design starts: the Ohio Mechanical Code is based on the 2021 IMC, but Chapter 11, refrigeration, comes from the 2024 IMC. That was done to bring in the A2L refrigerant provisions, and it means equipment selection and machinery room requirements for the new low-GWP refrigerants are governed by a newer edition than the rest of the code. Accessibility is also split, using ICC A117.1-2017 for new construction and A117.1-2009 for alterations. Every Ohio deliverable True Power Systems issues is sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state.
Services Schedule · Ohio
Full MEP scope under one roof, scheduled the way you'd schedule equipment. Every line ships sealed by a Ohio-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 Ohio climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from. | 2024 Ohio 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. | 2023 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 Ohio actually enforces, which is not always the model code. | 2024 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from.
2024 Ohio 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.
2023 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 Ohio actually enforces, which is not always the model code.
2024 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio, 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 Ohio projects, from concept through construction administration. One engineering team across mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, coordinated in your model.
MEP design for Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio plants and food processing facilities. Designed around the production line, not around a template.
Cooling and power design for Ohio data centers and mission-critical rooms, including redundancy strategy, capacity planning, and the electrical analysis that has to back the design.
MEP design for Ohio healthcare, K-12, and higher education facilities, where ventilation requirements, pressure relationships, and life-safety systems drive the design and the review.
Ohio Market Data
16,304
Manufacturing
682,252 workers
37,018
Healthcare & social assistance
934,052 workers
7,913
Educational services
436,741 workers
1,948
Data centers & hosting
12,523 workers
343,272 total Ohio 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 · Ohio
The questions Ohio design teams and owners ask before they hire us, answered the way we'd note them on a set.
Ohio enforces the 2024 Ohio Mechanical Code, based on the 2021 International Mechanical Code, with one important exception: Chapter 11, refrigeration, comes from the 2024 IMC. That amendment brought in the A2L refrigerant provisions, so low-GWP equipment and machinery room requirements follow the newer edition.
Yes. The 2024 Ohio Plumbing Code incorporates the 2021 International Plumbing Code with Ohio amendments. Ohio adopts the IPC rather than writing its own plumbing code, so a design coordinated to the IPC is on the right basis.
Ohio pulled Chapter 11 of the 2024 IMC into its mechanical code specifically to address A2L refrigerants, effective October 2025. Equipment selection, leak detection, and machinery room requirements for the new low-GWP refrigerants follow that newer chapter, even though the rest of the mechanical code is on the 2021 edition.
Commercial buildings comply through Ohio Building Code Chapter 13, using either the 2021 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2019, each with Ohio modifications. Either can serve as the compliance path.
Ohio spans ASHRAE climate zones 4A and 5A, mixed-humid to cold. Heating drives equipment selection while the cooling season still demands real latent capacity, so ventilation air tempering and freeze protection are part of the design in a way they are not further south.
Construction documents used for permit must be sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Ohio. True Power Systems holds an active Ohio PE license and stamps every Ohio deliverable.
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
Ohio MEP · Fee Proposal
Direct Lines
Ben True, P.E. · Principal
ben@truepowersystems.comNot in Ohio? 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 →
