True Power Systems · Consulting Engineers
True Power Systems delivers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for Tennessee architects, developers, and building operators. HVAC load and ventilation design, power distribution, plumbing and process piping, PE-stamped and coordinated in Revit.
Code Summary · Tennessee
These are the editions Tennessee actually enforces, verified against Adopted Codes, Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office. Drawings coordinated to the wrong edition fail plan review; ours are designed to these.
| Discipline | Adopted edition |
|---|---|
| Building | 2021 International Building Code with Tennessee amendments, effective April 17, 2025 |
| Mechanical | 2021 International Mechanical Code |
| Plumbing | 2021 International Plumbing Code Tennessee adopts the IPC, not the UPC |
| Electrical | 2017 National Electrical Code |
| Energy | 2021 International Energy Conservation Code with Tennessee amendments; factory and storage occupancies follow the 2006 IECC |
| Fuel gas | 2021 International Fuel Gas Code |
| Accessibility | Tennessee Public Building Accessibility Act IBC Chapter 11 is struck; the state Act controls |
| Existing buildings | 2021 International Existing Building Code with Tennessee amendments |
Adopted and enforced by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO). Source: Adopted Codes, Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office
Design Criteria
ASHRAE Zones 3A / 4A
mixed-humid
Tennessee sits in ASHRAE zones 3A and 4A, warmer across the west and middle of the state and cooler through the eastern valleys and plateau. Cooling and dehumidification dominate the sizing, but the heating load is real enough that equipment selected for the Gulf states does not transfer.
Project Locations
Plan Review Notes
The State Fire Marshal's Office sets Tennessee's minimum construction standards and performs commercial plan review and inspection, except in exempt jurisdictions. Local governments may adopt and enforce their own building codes, but those editions must stay within seven years of the current published edition and cannot fall below the state minimum, so the floor is consistent even where the reviewer is local.
Tennessee moved its commercial suite to the 2021 editions of the building, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, energy, and existing building codes effective April 17, 2025. The electrical code did not move with them: Tennessee still enforces the 2017 National Electrical Code, which is several cycles behind the building code and behind most neighboring states.
The energy code carries an exception that matters for industrial work. While commercial buildings generally follow the 2021 IECC with Tennessee amendments, factory and storage occupancies in Groups F-1, F-2, S-1, and S-2 are held to the 2006 IECC. A warehouse or plant designed to the current model energy code is being held to a different standard than the reviewer applies. Every Tennessee deliverable True Power Systems issues is sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state.
Services Schedule · Tennessee
Full MEP scope under one roof, scheduled the way you'd schedule equipment. Every line ships sealed by a Tennessee-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 Tennessee 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. | 2017 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.
2017 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, 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 Tennessee projects, from concept through construction administration. One engineering team across mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, coordinated in your model.
MEP design for Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee plants and food processing facilities. Designed around the production line, not around a template.
Cooling and power design for Tennessee data centers and mission-critical rooms, including redundancy strategy, capacity planning, and the electrical analysis that has to back the design.
MEP design for Tennessee healthcare, K-12, and higher education facilities, where ventilation requirements, pressure relationships, and life-safety systems drive the design and the review.
Tennessee Market Data
9,658
Manufacturing
362,514 workers
24,526
Healthcare & social assistance
460,044 workers
3,323
Educational services
244,539 workers
1,305
Data centers & hosting
8,283 workers
227,134 total Tennessee 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 · Tennessee
The questions Tennessee design teams and owners ask before they hire us, answered the way we'd note them on a set.
Tennessee enforces the 2021 International Mechanical Code, adopted by the State Fire Marshal's Office and effective April 17, 2025. It applies as the statewide minimum, including in exempt jurisdictions that run their own building departments.
Yes. Tennessee adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code rather than the Uniform Plumbing Code, so a plumbing design coordinated to the IPC is on the right basis for a Tennessee project.
This is the exception design teams miss. Commercial buildings generally follow the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code with Tennessee amendments, but factory and storage occupancies in Groups F-1, F-2, S-1, and S-2 are held to the 2006 IECC. Industrial projects are therefore reviewed against a much older energy standard than the rest of the code set.
Tennessee enforces the 2017 National Electrical Code. It did not move with the 2021 building code suite, so it sits several cycles behind both the rest of the Tennessee codes and most neighboring states. Design teams should confirm branch circuit, GFCI, and surge requirements against the 2017 edition.
Tennessee spans ASHRAE climate zones 3A and 4A, mixed-humid, warmer to the west and cooler through the eastern valleys. Cooling and dehumidification drive equipment selection, though the heating load is meaningful enough that Gulf-state selections do not transfer.
Construction documents used for permit must be sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Tennessee. True Power Systems holds an active Tennessee PE license and stamps every Tennessee 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
Tennessee MEP · Fee Proposal
Direct Lines
Ben True, P.E. · Principal
ben@truepowersystems.comNot in Tennessee? 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 →
