Balancing of heating and cooling systems is performed to ensure that the correct amount of water is present at all consumption points. Balancing is carried out by building balancing valves into the system, thereby adding adjustable resistance.

The valves in the system closest to pump system are adjusted to provide a higher resistance than valves placed further away from the pump system. This compensates for the increased pressure loss in the longer pipe sections. When there is the desired relationship between the different flow rates in the system, it is said to be balanced.

The pressure losses across the balancing valves should be kept as low as possible, so the pressure loss at the most distant valve is close to zero. Doing this will help minimize unnecessary power consumption for pump operation during the system’s lifetime.

The system contractor usually carries out balancing during commissioning. The task is often documented in a report, which indicates the measured flow rates.