Find the best HVAC Estimating Software

HVAC estimating software essentials 

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) estimating software handles the workflows and requirements of HVAC contractors. Features include technician, customer data, work orders, service contracts, parts inventory, billing and invoicing management, and GPS tracking field technicians.

HVAC estimating software helps calculate total material, labor, subcontractor, and equipment cost estimates and produces professional proposals for clients from these estimates. Its tools also assist users in automating data entry, pulling updated prices of materials and equipment, and identifying labor and overhead costs.

We have 74 HVAC estimating software platforms on our site, ranging from affordable, scaled-down options to six-figure enterprise systems. You can read the profiles for these HVAC estimating systems and check out user reviews to know which systems can be a good fit for your business. It’s important to realize that all these products offer a wide and differing set of capabilities.

We’ve put together an in-depth HVAC software buyers guide to help you understand what you’re getting into. Our insights will make the selection process easier for you, enabling you to choose the best platform for your business.

According to our advisor call notes, 66% of HVAC business owners who call us pay per user per month and pay on average $120 per user. 46% pay a flat monthly fee that costs, on average, $200 a month.

Some HVAC estimating software might cost more or less per month depending on their feature. For instance, if all you need is estimating and takeoff, you might be able to find a solution that costs less. But if you’re looking for a full suite that includes project management, accounting, or scheduling, you would be looking at more money per month because you might need multiple systems or one larger system.

If you’re a first-time buyer, consider your budget, number of users, use cases, and necessary integrations. Consult stakeholders to determine what questions you should ask vendors during an evaluation. Questions for vendors include:

• How often does your software pull in prices for estimation?

• Can this software integrate with my current solutions?

• Does the software have mobile functionality so our field agents can update in real time?

• How much data input do my techs need to do?

Choosing the right option can be a complicated process because there are so many different vendors. In this guide, you’ll learn about the essentials of HVAC estimating software, and get step-by-step guidance on how to choose the right solution for your practice. Or, if you’d prefer to chat with one of our experienced HVAC estimating software advisors like Marty Moore—who has led buyers to the right HVAC software dozens of times—schedule a call or start a chat with us.

What is HVAC estimating software?

HVAC estimating software helps calculate total material, labor, subcontractor, and equipment cost estimates. It leverages the collected data to produce professional proposals for clients. Its tools also assist users in automating data entry, pulling updated prices of materials and equipment, and identifying labor and overhead costs.

We have over 70 unique HVAC estimating vendor profiles on our site, and in the past one year, business owners have published over 700 reviews highlighting their experience with these pieces of software.

A common misconception we’ve heard based on our conversations with buyers is that HVAC business owners are looking for an all-in-one solution that includes estimating and accounting, but a lot of times that isn’t an option. Moore explains, “Business owners are usually looking for systems that integrate with the accounting system or project management systems they’re already using. Unfortunately, you can’t always find a solution that can offer clean integrations, so business owners might be better off finding a solution that has HVAC estimating, accounting, project management, and general field services features all built in.”

Once you understand that, you can get a software solution that is focused on what you really need.

Features of HVAC estimating software

All HVAC estimating software, including cost databases, job costing, proposal generation, and more, share various common features, including auditing, customizable templates, project tracking, and project management.

Here are the features that are most important and nearly always included in HVAC estimating software.

Optional HVAC estimating software features worth noting

There are a number of features that may not be found in every HVAC estimating software system but that are worth mentioning. These include:

• Historical database: Store all of your past projects with related materials and labor cost estimates in a database.

• What-if analysis: Model how your bid will change if assumptions (e.g., project completion date) change.

• Pre-built templates: To accelerate the estimating process, provide a set of commonly required parts and labor for standard jobs, such as a bathroom remodel.

• Aerial measurements: Using GPS maps, easily determine an estimate for how large a roof is so you quickly put together a bid.

• Reporting/analytics: Create cost breakdown reports using charts and graphs to improve the analysis of project costs.

For more information on HVAC estimating software features and recommendations, you can schedule an appointment with Moore or his colleagues.

Benefits of HVAC estimating software 

Moore’s conversation with HVAC professionals unveiled that they are often looking for better estimating solutions because they’ve outgrown manual methods. In his words, “Business owners are usually using manual methods trying to automate that process and just get more accurate estimates.” Other pain points that lead users to more specialized estimating software include lack of automation and scheduling and inventory tracking to ensure material cost databases are up to date.

Moore often talks to HVAC professionals about why they are looking for HVAC estimating software. “Business owners just aren’t getting current pricing information, so they’re looking for a program that frequently updates their cost database.”

If you don’t have confidence in the prices you’re providing, you could be shooting yourself in the foot by providing a bid that doesn’t cover all your costs down the road. This reflects the over 350 call notes our advisors have taken during the last year.

In general, the primary benefits you’ll see when you purchase and utilize HVAC estimating software will make you more efficient across the board.

• Accurate estimates: HVAC estimating software helps field service techs to accurately estimate the costs of labor and materials. Manual calculations are prone to errors. If an estimate is too high, the job will go to another contractor; if it’s too low, the customer will be upset when the price goes up.

• Simplified scheduling: HVAC estimating software makes it easy to track team assignments, know the location of equipment, and track materials availability to avoid conflicts and ensure smooth operations.

• Scale your business: Mistakes happen when you’re trying to manage multiple jobs and coordinate paperwork across different job sites. HVAC estimating software can help you avoid that by simplifying project management. 

• Ensure Efficient operations: Improved communication between job sites and project management features can help enhance your operational efficiency. Add on improved and more accurate estimating tools, and you should be able to win more bids.

• Provide more value to clients: Better estimating, quoting, takeoff, and processes all lead to a better client experience. If things run smoothly, your clients will be more likely to recommend you to their friends and family, and word of mouth will always be the best marketing your business receives.

How to choose the right HVAC estimating software

Starting your HVAC estimating software search can be daunting, so it’s important to break it down into steps. First, you should detail all your requirements and categorize them based on their importance to your business’ growth. Nice-to-have features, such as a what-if analysis engine, can be a bonus feature, but it shouldn’t be what you base your entire search around. The vendors you’re most interested in should meet all of your must-have requirements at a bare minimum. 

Step 1: Define your requirements

Before you start the HVAC estimating software selection process, begin outlining the requirements that are unique to your business. Not only will these guide you to the platform that meets your current demands—you will end up with software that supports your long-term goals as well.

Ideal deployment model

The two common types of system architecture are on-premise and cloud-based. On-premise deployment involves installing the solutions on servers that are housed in your building. While this solution gives you more security because your licensing isn’t reliant on cloud-based services, it can be tiresome and expensive to maintain and upgrade the hardware over time. 

On the other hand, the cloud gives users the flexibility of anytime, anywhere access but the internet connection needs to be fast and steady all the time.

In general, you’ll want a cloud-based solution as an HVAC business because it allows you to work more easily in the field with tablets or smartphones.

Common HVAC estimating integrations

As Moore mentioned earlier, it can be hard to find a solution that integrates with your current methods, so it is crucial to be open-minded about all the available options. Look for software solutions that can integrate with your current accounting system to help streamline processes.

In general, there are few integration considerations with HVAC estimating software outside of the ones mentioned above; most will satisfy your needs by offering the features required to help you scale your business.

It might also be worth broadening your search outside of HVAC estimating specifically to a larger HVAC management system that might include estimating features. That way, you’re more likely to get all of the features you need in one place.

Step 2: Make a shortlist of HVAC estimating software

The amount of HVAC estimating software options can be daunting, so it’s important to narrow down to a shortlist of 3-5 software vendors that you know have what you need.

As per our advisors conversations with HVAC professionals, they often have a very strict idea about what software they want to use going into the software selection process because it’s either software they’ve used before at a different company or it’s an industry standard. While this is an effective starting point, it’s important to be flexible because the solution you’re dead set on might not be the best fit.

Get qualified help from an advisor

At Software Advice, our advisors like Moore have experience helping hundreds of HVAC professionals identify solutions that match their needs and budgets.

If you need guidance, you can chat online now with an advisor or schedule a phone call. In just a few minutes, your advisor will help you identify a shortlist of options that align with your practice’s requirements.

Step 3: Pick your best option

You’ve compiled a list of your top choices, so now you need to start scheduling vendor demos. During your demos, you can explore features, understand pricing better, and ultimately make the right choice for your business. Don’t go into these vendor demos without a plan, though, or you will be wasting your time. 

How to prepare for vendor demos

Once you’ve compiled your shortlist of HVAC estimating software systems, schedule demo sessions with each vendor in order to learn more about their product. Our advisors can help schedule these for you a lot of the time. This is your chance to ask questions about specific features they offer, pricing, technical support, training tools, and anything else that might be an important factor in choosing the right system.

Some questions you should consider asking vendors in each demo include:

• What kind of customer support do you offer during implementation?

• Do you have a bid template library that offers branding?

• Can the bid templates be customized?

• How can you migrate existing data to the tool?

If you’re looking for some more general advice about how to find the right software for your business, we’ve got plenty of it. For more help and information about how to select your software, check out these resources:

• Make Your Software Search More Seamless With a Software Advisor

• After Your Advisor Call: 4 Tips to Keep Your Software Purchase on Track

• The Ultimate Software Vendor Evaluation Guide

• How To Cut Through the Sales Pitch During Software Demos

About our contributors

Author

Collin Couey is a senior content writer at Software Advice, covering medical and construction technologies, with a focus on emerging medical and construction industry trends. Collin has presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, as well as the Pop Culture Association Annual Conference.

Collin’s research and writing for Software Advice is informed by more than 80,000 authentic user reviews and nearly 60,000 interactions between Software Advice software advisors and medical and construction software buyers. Collin also regularly speaks to leaders and practitioners in the medical and construction spaces so he can provide the most up-to-date and helpful information to small and midsize businesses purchasing software or services.

When he isn’t helping small and midsize businesses get the most out of their medical and construction technology, Collin loves playing disc golf and Dungeons and Dragons.

Editor

Parul Sharma is a content editor at Software Advice with expertise in curating content for various niches, including SaaS, digital marketing, and search engine optimization. With over half a decade of experience in content writing and editing, Parul has the expertise to simplify complex terms into engaging, valuable content for targeted audiences. She completed her graduation and post-graduation in English literature from Delhi University and was awarded the Dr. Asha Sahni Memorial Award for being the highest scorer in her graduating class. 

Parul has contributed to the news, lifestyle, education, and health verticle of DNA India, India’s premier media channel. Outside of work, she can be found curating healthy recipes, coloring in mandala books, and spending quality time with her family.

Advisor

Marty Moore is a senior software advisor. He joined Software Advice in 2014 as a software advisor, and he is based in Austin, TX.

As part of the software advisor team, Marty helps a wide range of industry professionals who are seeking construction, field service, CRM, and project management software. He provides a short list of personalized technology recommendations based on budget, business goals, and other specific needs. 

Marty’s favorite part of being a software advisor is talking to buyers and helping them understand how software works for them and can really help their business.