HeatWise alternative: when HeatWise is enough, and when your team needs more

HeatWise is a low-cost browser load calculator using RTS. Compare it with HVAKR on takeoff, ASHRAE 62.1, team editing, duct design, Revit, and price.

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TL;DR: HeatWise is a browser-based load calculator from a small Winnipeg team, built on the ASHRAE 2021 Fundamentals Handbook and the Radiant Time Series method. It's cheap ($49 per user per month for commercial, or a $65 one-month pass), quick to learn, and does ASHRAE 62.1 VRP outdoor air. If you're one engineer who needs room-by-room loads and nothing else, HeatWise is a good tool and you may not need to switch. Look at HVAKR when the drawings are PDFs you don't want to trace by hand, when several engineers need to work the same project at the same time, or when you want loads, airflow, and duct sizing in one model that updates when the architect changes something.

What HeatWise does well

From HeatWise's own site, checked Nov 3, 2026:

  • Price. Commercial subscription $49/user/month, residential $19/user/month, and one-month passes ($65 commercial, $30 residential) for a single project. 30-day free trial, no card. (pricing)
  • Method. Cooling loads follow the 2021 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook using RTS. HeatWise calculates every hour of a design day in every month (288 samples) and reports the peak with a component breakdown. (features)
  • Ventilation. HeatWise has a full ASHRAE 62.1 Ventilation Rate Procedure tutorial, and its "How HeatWise Works" post says it uses 62.1 outdoor air requirements to set minimum primary airflow on VAV zones. (tutorials, How HeatWise Works)
  • Easy to pick up. A built-in Quick Help system and "automatic mode" on many inputs. HeatWise is upfront that energy modeling, Revit integration, and very large industrial facilities are out of scope. (homepage)
  • Engineer-built. Co-founder Magnus Johnson is a P.Eng. who used HAP and Chvac on dozens of projects before building HeatWise. (about)
  • Free tools. Psychrometrics, ductulator, duct pressure loss, hydronics, pipe head loss, and affinity laws calculators. (tools)

Where teams outgrow it

None of this is a knock on HeatWise. It's a focused load calculator and says so. The gaps show up when the job is bigger than "get me the room loads":

  • Inputs are still manual. We found no floor-plan takeoff on HeatWise's site. You enter rooms, walls, and windows yourself, or import component data from Excel. HVAKR reads an uploaded PDF floor plan and extracts spaces, areas, and boundaries for you to review and approve.
  • Sharing vs working together. HeatWise lets you give coworkers read and write access to a project. HVAKR projects are multiplayer: several engineers in the same project at once, edits synced field by field, presence avatars, project chat, and comments pinned to a space, zone, or system.
  • Loads stop at loads. HeatWise's duct tools are standalone calculators. In HVAKR the loads feed airflow, air balancing, and duct layout in the same model, and after a design change you run Size Ducts to resize the ductwork against each duct type's velocity and friction limits.
  • Revit. HeatWise lists direct Revit integration as a reason it may not fit. HVAKR has a free add-in for Revit 2025 and 2026 that round-trips MEP spaces between Revit and HVAKR, plus gbXML export on Team plans and up.
  • Standard 183 paper trail. HVAKR publishes how it meets each requirement of ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 183 at /compliance/ashrae-183/. We didn't find a published 183 compliance statement on HeatWise's site.

HeatWise vs HVAKR at a glance

HeatWiseHVAKR
PlatformBrowserBrowser, plus macOS desktop app
Cooling methodASHRAE RTS (2021 Fundamentals)ASHRAE RTS
Hourly calc24 hours × 12 months (288 samples)24 hours × 12 months (288 points), peak reported as month and hour
ASHRAE 62.1VRP (per HeatWise tutorials)VRP and IAQP; 62.1-2022 rate library under both 2022 and 2025 settings (2025 adds a density correction)
Standard 183 statementNone found on HeatWise's sitePublished, requirement by requirement
Floor-plan inputManual entry or Excel importAI takeoff from PDF floor plans
Team editingRead/write project sharingReal-time multi-user editing, chat, comments, roles
Airflow and duct designSpace airflow from loads; duct tools are separate free calculatorsAir balancing and duct layout in the same model
RevitOut of scope (per HeatWise)Free add-in round-trips MEP spaces (Revit 2025/2026); gbXML export on Team+
Energy modelingNo (by design)No
ReportsPDF and ExcelPDF and CSV
Price (monthly billing)$49/user/mo commercial; $65 one-month passSolo $240/mo ($200/mo billed yearly); Team $960/mo for 3 seats ($800/mo yearly)
Free trial30 days14 days (Solo), 30 days (Team)

Prices and features from each vendor's site, checked Nov 3, 2026.

Stay with HeatWise if

  • You're a solo engineer or small consultancy and the load calc is a small slice of your fee.
  • You do a handful of projects a year and a $65 pass beats any subscription.
  • You're happy entering rooms by hand and you size ducts separately.
  • You work in Canada and want a Canadian vendor.

Look at HVAKR if

  • Your drawings come as PDF sets and tracing rooms is eating your week.
  • Two or more engineers touch the same job, or a senior engineer reviews every calc.
  • You want 62.1 outdoor air, loads, airflow, and duct sizes to stay connected as the design changes.
  • Your firm models in Revit and wants spaces to round-trip instead of being re-keyed.
  • You need a published Standard 183 compliance write-up for a reviewer or client.

Price, honestly

HeatWise is much cheaper per seat. If price per seat is the deciding factor, HeatWise wins. HVAKR's case is time: AI takeoff, live team editing, and loads-to-ducts in one model. Run the same small project in both trials and compare hours, not sticker price.

Switching from HeatWise

  1. Export your HeatWise project data and reports for the record.
  2. Upload the architectural PDF to HVAKR and run Auto Takeoff to create spaces.
  3. Set weather, envelope, and space types in Basis of Design. HVAKR's envelope defaults are ASHRAE 90.1-2022 minimums; replace them with your project's assemblies.
  4. Compare room peaks against your HeatWise results. Both use RTS, so if peaks differ, check the inputs first (assemblies, schedules, glazing).

Mechanical Engineers On Tap

HVAKR is more than software. Every plan includes support from mechanical engineers who design HVAC for a living, so when a hard load-calc or system-selection question comes up, you get an answer from someone who has solved it before. Where other tools offer software support, HVAKR offers engineering support.

Talk to a real engineer

Stuck on a load calculation, a system selection, or a tricky space? Our mechanical engineers help with the actual engineering, not just which button to press.

Answers in hours, not days

Fast, human product support and onboarding that gets your whole team productive in a day.

Expertise included

Mechanical engineering help comes with your subscription: no consulting contract and no extra fee.

Frequently asked questions

What is HeatWise HVAC?

HeatWise is web-based HVAC load calculation software from HeatWise HVAC, a startup in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It calculates commercial and residential heating and cooling loads with the ASHRAE Radiant Time Series method from the 2021 Fundamentals Handbook and exports PDF and Excel reports.

How much does HeatWise cost?

As of Nov 3, 2026, HeatWise lists $49 per user per month for commercial, $19 for residential, and one-month passes at $65 (commercial) and $30 (residential), with a 30-day free trial.

What's the best HeatWise alternative for engineering teams?

For teams that need floor-plan takeoff, simultaneous editing, and loads tied to airflow and duct sizing, HVAKR is the closest browser-based alternative. For full energy modeling, Carrier HAP, Trane TRACE 3D Plus, and IES VE are the usual desktop choices. For a low-cost Windows load program, Elite Chvac.

Does HeatWise do ASHRAE 62.1?

Yes. HeatWise has a tutorial on the ASHRAE 62.1 Ventilation Rate Procedure and says it uses 62.1 outdoor air requirements to set minimum primary airflow on VAV zones.

Does HeatWise integrate with Revit?

HeatWise says direct Revit integration is out of scope. HVAKR has a free add-in for Revit 2025 and 2026 that round-trips MEP spaces between Revit and HVAKR.

Do HeatWise and HVAKR use the same load method?

Both use the ASHRAE Radiant Time Series method for cooling loads. Carrier HAP, Trane TRACE 3D Plus, and IES VE use Heat Balance. Elite Chvac offers RTS or CLTD.

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