HVAKR Reviews & Product Details

I like the simplicity of space creation. The ability to adjust the spaces easily is superior to other load calculation software. Assigning the wall, window, and envelope information makes building load design quick and simple. The PDF sheet insertion is easy and with Architectural background changes it easily updates the background PDF, but keeps a running record of the prior designs.

The load visualization helps troubleshoot anomalies in the space creation and allows for quicker changes to get loads correct.

Zoning of the equipment and equipment systems is simple and making changes on the fly is second to none.

The System design and layout of air terminals and duct routing to ensure fan static pressure to achieve a proper selection. This allows us to be sure that we get accurate information to the manufacturer for equipment selections. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It would be nice to be able to provide a single space to 2 separate zones. There may be instances where a mini-split would be used in a conference room space along with regular space tempering from a roof top unit that is providing the ventilation air.

The navigation of the spaces screen is a little clunky. It would be great to zoom in and out without using ctrl. I could just be using it incorrectly, but this is a minor issue.

Report generation is lacking a little bit. It again could be how I'm using it, but the system information for each unit and possibly a zone map showing the equipment would be a nice feature. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

HVAKR is highly accessible for students, allowing them to progress from creating a new account and project to developing a functional building model in a short amount of time. The workflow is intuitive, which makes it especially suitable for learning how to perform load calculations. In our HVAC&R course labs at Cal Poly, students construct a model based on plans—defining spaces, the building envelope, zoning, and a basic system configuration—and are able to produce clear heating and cooling load results without spending the entire lab session struggling with the interface. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Overall we’ve had a good experiences using HVAKR in an educational setting. If I had to name improvement areas, they’d be around teaching convenience: more built-in “guided learning” prompts/tooltips for first-time users, and a few more flexible options for exporting/organizing results for lab reports would make it even smoother in a classroom setting. (These are nice-to-haves—the current workflow is already effective for instruction.) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the user-friendly accessibility to HVAKR and appreciate the intuitive nature of the software. If I ever had a question of where to go or how to do something, I found what I needed by poking around. This program, compared to others, doesn't have a huge amount of tools displayed that aren't relevant. I liked how, when making selections, there were suggested/relevant corresponding selections that auto-populated. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I disliked the assumptions that weren't always clear or the auto-populated items that might be affecting the design negatively. As a student, I would like to see more suggestions or questions confirming with the user if we are sure to move forward with a specific selection. This would help those who are still learning engineers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like how HVAKR is able to operate as a singular design program, while much of HVAC design is done in a number of different programs when not using a program like HVAKR. Also, the program is very straightforward and is able to be easily implemented for lower level employees who may not be as familiar with HVAC standards. I do see how using this would streamline the design process as well. As it replaced a number of other programs and is easy to operate, this program would be easy to integrate in almost every design firm. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It may be hard to double check work when it done in a single platform and single view. With changing standards, it may be difficult to ensure the program is always keeping up with new standards. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The live updates to the load calculation is very powerful. When troubleshooting the calc and making various changes, the results are available immediately. This is a lot faster than having to make a small change and wait for a report to generate and then chase down what impact the change had to the result. Cycle time reduced! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A shortfall is that HVAKR doesn't include energy modeling. So if a project requires an annual analysis, we're back to the old software... Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The simplicity. The learning curve was relatively low due to the organized layout and distinct sections with a button prompt to move on to the next section, in addition to the organizer tree to go to any point at any time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The price. It's expensive, it is absolutely worth paying more than some other software out there, but the price is orders of magnitude higher than alternatives, which unfortunately make management want to look at the other (less desirable) options closer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The intuitiveness of the program makes the program very easy to start using with little to no experience. The program actively updating the project whenever there is a change made so it is reflected in every part of the project. The number of features also makes the program very nice to use being able to complete entire projects in a single application. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I didn't find any parts of the application that I found to dislike as many of the features seemed well designed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use HVAKR for HVAC heat and AC calculations and duct design. It really streamlines the process compared to older software I've reviewed. What stands out most for me is the ease of use and particularly their customer service. The chat is always available, and they take the time to have meetings, training you on how to use the product and answering any questions without making you feel rushed or like you're annoying them. They genuinely want you to be successful with their software and are always there to support you in this function. Also, the initial setup was a breeze, as it's a web-based software with no setup required - just go to the website, create an account, start calculating, and you're done. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It would be nice if there were more residential setup and design videos in the tutorial. Showing different systems and house types. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The ease of inputting the building geometry and the libraries of information already built in and explained. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The documentation isn't quite there yet. By which I mean help files, guides, etc. Or perhaps I just prefer printed/text documentation to be able to refer to, rather than hunting through videos. It's all there the more I dig through things, it could just be easier to search through to find. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Easy to use graphical interface and easy to learn. The support team is incredibly responsive and quick. The best customer support I have received across any platform. This was able to take the place of our old loads software seamlessly and we haven't looked back since. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

This is a great product and there's not much to dislike. One of the few gripes is the excel results exports to .csv files, which then need to be converted to .xlsx to be truly useful. However, this is a necessary evil of cloud computing and large data sets and is industry standard. Great product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.