Cool Calc estimates room-by-room heat loss in US homes to help size heat pumps.
Its reported growth—about 150 new sign-ups daily, with homeowners making up over a third—offers a concrete case of specialist calculation software reaching consumers.
The article also explains why estimate accuracy matters for heating performance and energy use.
The calculation shows how much heat a house loses when it is cold and is done separately for each room. It helps to choose the right size of heat pump. If the estimate is incorrect, the pump may not heat the house enough or be larger than necessary and use more energy.
Cool Calc calculates heating needs for homes in the U.S. and is gaining about 150 new users every day. Just over a third are homeowners, not professionals, according to the company’s founder and CEO, Bill Fiore. Fiore says more and more homeowners want to do the math themselves. He also says they often get inaccurate information from artificial intelligence tools, and that Cool Calc plans to work with such tools to improve their answers.
A miscalculation can lead to a system that is larger than necessary. In a study that has yet to be published, Kevin Kircher and his colleagues examined calculations for about 75 U.S. homeowners. According to Kircher, the professionals’ calculations often showed heating needs that were double or even greater than actual needs. Some homeowners said they paid more than $1.000 for heat loss inspections. In one case, the bill was as high as $2.500.
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An overly large system can turn on and off frequently, causing noticeable temperature changes. Dan Dempsey monitors the performance of heating and cooling systems in his friends' homes by examining data from smart thermostats.
In the UK, Heatpunk allows homeowners to draw a floor plan of their home and enter details about it so the tool can estimate its performance. It then recommends heat pump models available through Midsummer Energy. Thousands of people use Heatpunk every month, mostly professional installers, according to the company’s founder and CEO, Andy Rankin.
Dwellow, a UK heat pump installation company, recently launched its own heat loss assessment tool. Co-founder and managing director Ian Mclaren believes that an initial inspection by the homeowner can reduce the time and cost of a professional visit.
Self-checks, however, are no substitute for the work of installers. Maurizio Sibilla, from the Centre for Advanced Built Environment Research at the University of West England, Bristol, said there was also a need to inform customers more clearly. Adam Chapman of Heat Geek noted that only a careful inspection could identify some hidden problems, such as windows without proper insulation around openings or walls that were thought to be insulated but were not.
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