HeatCAD - Heat Loss Calculation Software

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HeatCAD 2025 is a drawing-based software for fast and accurate calculation of residential heating and cooling loads. The Professional Edition supports ASHRAE and CSA residential heat loss calculations. The MJ8 Edition provides ACCA®-Approved Manual J® (8th Edition) calculations for residential heating and cooling loads. And HeatCAD is verified for CSA F280-12 residential heating and cooling load calculations. HeatCAD delivers advanced design features including integrated load calculations, automatic detection of unheated surfaces, and 3D CAD views. Try it now free for 30-days.

Tutorial

Pricing

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HeatCAD is intended for use by professionals in the HVAC industry that have knowledge and experience with the calculations required for proper heating and/or cooling system design. It is not intended for DIY users that may not be adequately trained in these areas.

Editions

HeatCAD is available in two different editions to best match your needs. For a list of functionality and new features in each edition, view the Feature Comparison PDF. The video demo provides a quick introduction, and the Tutorial lessons provide a much more in-depth look.

Professional Edition

Floorplan drawing and importing (PDF, AutoCAD, JPG)
Automated heat loss calculations as you draw
ASHRAE residential heat loss calculations
Verified CSA F280-12 residential heating and cooling load calculations (more info...)
Files compatible with LoopCAD® for radiant designs
3D drawing views

MJ8 Edition

All features in Professional Edition, plus...

ACCA-Approved Manual J (8th Edition) residential heating and cooling load calculations (more info...)

Feature Comparison PDF

Key Features

Floorplan Drawing

Creating floorplan drawings is very fast using the predefined rooms, doors, windows and other objects. Rooms can be resized by dragging the walls or corners, and they are easily docked together to create complex floor plans. The room shapes can be quickly edited to create very complex shapes, and you can also use the freehand drawing tools to create more complex shapes. HeatCAD also allows you to import an existing AutoCAD*, PDF** or scanned drawings to use as a template.

Heat Loss Calculations

HeatCAD calculates the room-by-room heat loss automatically as you draw the floorplan. And you can choose the residential calculation method that best suits your project - ASHRAE, CSA or Manual J. HeatCAD automatically detects rooms above or below and even supports cold partition calculations between rooms.

Cooling Load Calculations

Residential heating and cooling loads calculations are available with options for ACCA Approved Manual J (MJ8 Edition) and Verified CSA F280-12 (Canada). Full support for Manual J 8th Edition cooling loads including block loads, room-by-room loads, infiltration and ventilation loads, detailed exposure diversity analysis, and room CFM estimates.

ACCA®-Approved Manual J®

HeatCAD MJ8 is ACCA-Approved for Manual J (8th Edition) residential heating and cooling load calculations. This streamlines the acceptance of your submittals by local authorities requiring ACCA-Approved software calculations. Click here for more details.

CSA® F280-12 Residential Heating and Cooling Loads

HeatCAD provides for easy, accurate and verified CSA F280-12 residential heating and cooling load calculations. Click here for more details.

3D CAD Views

HeatCAD generates 3D views of your building that you draw in 2D. The new 3D views are a powerful aide for ensuring accurate heat load calculations, and are also very effective for communicating your design work. Validation of the placement and sizing of windows, doors and walls is made much faster and more precise with the 3D views.

*AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
**Acrobat and PDF are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
ACCA, Manual J and Powered by ACCA Manual J are registered trademarks of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. All rights reserved.
CSA and F280 are trademarks owned by, and CSA F280-12 is copyrighted by, the Canadian Standards Association. All rights reserved.

Free Trial

The free Trial Version allows you to try HeatCAD at no-obligation for 30 days. The Trial Version is fully functional, with the only difference the addition of a small "Trial Version" footnote on the reports and printed drawings.

When you first install HeatCAD it will automatically be in Trial Version mode. You can choose to purchase a license and activate your copy anytime during or after the trial period. The easy to use Activation Wizard will always be available to guide you through the process.

To ensure that you have uninterrupted use of HeatCAD, it is recommended to start the activation process a few working days before the trial expiry. For more information view the License and Subscriptions section below.

Get your free Trial Version now by clicking the Download button. (Note that this is also the download for the Full version - your activation code will determine the status).

Download Trial Now

Users of older versions of HeatCAD can install HeatCAD 2025 Trial Version without affecting your existing installation(s). Both old and new versions can be used on the same computer at the same time.

License and Subscriptions

HeatCAD licensing is a combination of a perpetual license with subscription-based support and updates. With your initial license purchase, you automatically receive a 12-month subscription included at no additional charge. If the 12-month subscription expires and is not renewed you can continue to use your current version of HeatCAD indefinitely, but future program updates and technical support will no longer be available to you. When the expiry of this 12-month subscription is approaching, you will be prompted to renew the subscription in order to maintain uninterrupted software updates and support.

See the FAQ page for more answers to licensing and subscription questions. Refer to the Pricing page for up-to-date pricing information for license purchases and subscription renewals.

Status	Features & Limitations
Trial Active	Full feature set available "Trial" notations added to printouts
Trial Expired	The program changes to Reader-mode which allows opening and creating projects, but will not allow saving or exporting of project files
License Purchased Subscription is Active	Full feature set available Free technical support Free training webinars Free program updates and version upgrades
License Purchased Subscription is Expired	Full feature set available Telephone technical support not available E-mail technical support not available Training webinars not available Program updates/upgrades not available

For complete licensing terms and conditions, view the End-User License Agreement.

System Requirements

Operating System	64-bit Microsoft Windows 11, 10 with Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
Processor	2.0 GHz or higher recommended
Memory	8 GB minimum, 16 GB or more recommended
Disk Space	1.0 GB recommended (Microsoft .NET Framework may require up to 5 GB)
Video	Recommend resolution of 1920 x 1080 or higher Support for DirectX 11 or OpenGL 2.0 (recommend minimum of 1 GB Video Memory)
Mouse	External mouse with scroll wheel (built-in mouse pads are not recommended)