True Power Systems · Consulting Engineers
True Power Systems delivers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for North Carolina architects, developers, and building operators. HVAC load and ventilation design, power distribution, plumbing and process piping, PE-stamped and coordinated in Revit.
Code Summary · North Carolina
These are the editions North Carolina actually enforces, verified against Current Codes, NC Office of the State Fire Marshal. Drawings coordinated to the wrong edition fail plan review; ours are designed to these.
| Discipline | Adopted edition |
|---|---|
| Building | 2018 NC Building Code based on the 2015 International Building Code |
| Mechanical | 2018 NC Mechanical Code based on the 2015 International Mechanical Code |
| Plumbing | 2018 NC Plumbing Code based on the 2015 International Plumbing Code |
| Electrical | 2020 NC Electrical Code the 2020 NEC with NC amendments, for commercial work |
| Energy | 2018 NC Energy Conservation Code based on the 2015 IECC |
| Fuel gas | 2018 NC Fuel Gas Code based on the 2015 International Fuel Gas Code |
| Accessibility | ICC A117.1-2009 referenced through NC Building Code Chapter 11 |
| Existing buildings | 2018 NC Existing Building Code based on the 2015 IEBC |
Adopted and enforced by the North Carolina Building Code Council (NCBCC). Source: Current Codes, NC Office of the State Fire Marshal
Design Criteria
ASHRAE Zones 3A / 4A / 5A
mixed-humid, colder in the mountains
North Carolina runs from the humid coastal plain through the Piedmont into the mountain counties around Asheville, crossing three climate zones. Coastal work is dehumidification-driven while the western counties carry a genuine heating season, so a single statewide equipment approach does not hold.
Project Locations
Plan Review Notes
North Carolina writes its own State Building Code, adopted by the Building Code Council and applied uniformly statewide. Local governments enforce it through their own inspection departments but cannot vary the technical provisions without Council approval, so the requirements are the same in Charlotte as in Wilmington.
The enforced edition is the 2018 code suite, based on the 2015 International Codes, with one exception: electrical work outside the residential scope follows the 2020 NC Electrical Code, based on the 2020 NEC. That split trips up teams who assume the whole set moves together, because the electrical code is two cycles ahead of the building and mechanical codes.
The 2024 code suite, based on the 2021 International Codes, is fully adopted but not yet in force. Under state law it takes effect twelve months after the State Fire Marshal certifies publication and council formation, which had not happened as of early 2026. In the meantime the 2024 code may be used today as an alternate method of construction at the owner’s request, which is worth knowing if a project would benefit from the newer provisions. Every North Carolina deliverable True Power Systems issues is sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the state.
Services Schedule · North Carolina
Full MEP scope under one roof, scheduled the way you'd schedule equipment. Every line ships sealed by a North Carolina-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 North Carolina climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from. | 2018 NC 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 NC 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 North Carolina actually enforces, which is not always the model code. | 2018 NC 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina climate rather than a rule of thumb, with equipment schedules a contractor can actually buy from.
2018 NC 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 NC 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 North Carolina actually enforces, which is not always the model code.
2018 NC 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, 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 North Carolina projects, from concept through construction administration. One engineering team across mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, coordinated in your model.
MEP design for North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina plants and food processing facilities. Designed around the production line, not around a template.
Cooling and power design for North Carolina data centers and mission-critical rooms, including redundancy strategy, capacity planning, and the electrical analysis that has to back the design.
MEP design for North Carolina healthcare, K-12, and higher education facilities, where ventilation requirements, pressure relationships, and life-safety systems drive the design and the review.
North Carolina Market Data
11,477
Manufacturing
465,130 workers
35,919
Healthcare & social assistance
697,348 workers
8,565
Educational services
391,197 workers
1,891
Data centers & hosting
12,481 workers
376,914 total North Carolina 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 · North Carolina
The questions North Carolina design teams and owners ask before they hire us, answered the way we'd note them on a set.
North Carolina enforces the 2018 NC Mechanical Code, based on the 2015 International Mechanical Code with North Carolina amendments. It applies uniformly statewide; local departments enforce it but cannot vary the technical provisions.
Not yet. The 2024 suite, based on the 2021 International Codes, is fully adopted but takes effect twelve months after the State Fire Marshal certifies publication and council formation, which had not occurred as of early 2026. The 2018 code remains the governing standard, though the 2024 code can be used today as an alternate method of construction at the building owner’s request.
Commercial work follows the 2020 NC Electrical Code, based on the 2020 NEC with North Carolina amendments. This is the one part of the suite that is not on the 2015 model cycle, so the electrical code is ahead of the building and mechanical codes.
Commercial buildings follow the 2018 NC Energy Conservation Code, based on the 2015 IECC with North Carolina amendments. Envelope assumptions and equipment efficiency minimums follow that edition rather than the current model code.
North Carolina spans ASHRAE climate zones 3A through 5A, from the humid coastal plain through the Piedmont into the mountain counties. Coastal projects are dehumidification-driven while western counties carry a real heating season, so equipment selection changes across the state.
Construction documents used for permit must be sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of North Carolina. True Power Systems holds an active North Carolina PE license and stamps every North Carolina 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
North Carolina MEP · Fee Proposal
Direct Lines
Ben True, P.E. · Principal
ben@truepowersystems.comNot in North Carolina? 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 →
