Comparison

HVAC ResLoad vs BluVac

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HVAC ResLoad

Perform ACCA Manual J8 load calculations for residential and small commercial buildings. Generate and email PDF reports for clients and building officials. Includes extensive weather and construction data for detailed analysis.

Highlights
  • ACCA Manual J8 load calculations
  • Field-based cooling and heating load calculations
  • Emailable PDF reports
  • Unlimited projects and templates
  • Global weather data
  • Extensive construction data
  • Room-by-room analysis
Features
Read full description

This app is great for HVAC technicians, contractors, homeowners, HERS and PHIUS raters to easily perform ACCA Manual J8 load calcs. For online help and training videos, go here: http://bit.ly/1PhqlDi The HVAC ResLoad-J app from Carmel is an ACCA-approved Manual J8 residential load calculation app for the Apple iPad. It allows engineers, contractors, and technicians to perform field-based cooling and heating load calculations on residential and small commercial buildings. Users are then able to email PDF reports to customers and local building officials. Reports produced by this app will be acceptable by all municipalities/states (including 30+ US states that have passed laws requiring contractors to submit load calcs from ACCA-approved software.) The HVAC ResLoad-J app allows users to create unlimited projects and perform both block and room-by-room loads. The app includes weather data for 1000s of cities throughout the world and construction data for 100s of wall, floor, roof, ceiling, and window types. The user is also able to model detailed appliance, duct, infiltration, and ventilation loads. The HVAC ResLoad-J app was specifically designed for the Apple iPad, taking advantage of the larger screen, rotating user interface, and other functionality unique to the iPad. This app is similar to our very popular HVAC Residential Load Calcs HD app for the iPad, and it includes many of the same inputs and results. However, the "J" app is ACCA-approved, and thus requires much more detailed analysis of the building. Other features include: 1. Includes a 1000+ world-wide city weather database 2. Allows you to create and store an unlimited number of projects. You can also re-use existing projects as templates for new projects. 3. Includes data for 100s of construction types for walls, roofs, floors, doors, windows, skylights, and ceilings. 4. Allows you to specify an unlimited # of building envelope types (i.e. – doors, walls, roofs, floors, ceilings), window types, and skylight types for each building. 5. Allows you to input individual home appliance information. 6. Allows you to instantly view total heating and cooling load results as you update input data. 7. Allows you to view comprehensive cooling and heating load breakdown reports including breakdown by envelope load, window load, skylight load, infiltration load, ventilation load and internal load contributions. 8. Also performs room-by-room cooling and heating load calc analysis 9. Includes the ability to display a wide variety of on-screen reports including checksum reports (ie – BTUh/SqFt, SqFt/Ton, etc.), complete heating and cooling load breakdown reports, and even graphically-pleasing pie charts showing cooling and heating load breakdowns. These reports can be converted to PDFs and emailed from right within the app. 10. Includes the ability to display a comprehensive HTML report that you can email to yourself or others, and it also includes a spreadsheet attachment that you can open in Excel to create customized reports. 11. Includes the ability to display units in either English (IP) or Metric (SI). 12. As of 2020, includes new project input reports that allow you to print or export to PDF via email. The benefits of using this app are numerous including: 1. Great for use out in the field. Quickly size heating and cooling equipment, show the client, then email the results back to your office for further analysis. 2. Show off your advanced on-screen reports to clients convincing them you are using cutting-edge technology. 3. Save time by inputting information in the field and then returning to your office to perform more in-depth analysis. 4. Submit reports to local municipalities that require ACCA-approved Manual J8 residential load calcs for equipment replacement. Bonus: The HVAC ResLoad-J app now includes our popular HVAC Equipment Locator app built right in! Click here for details about that app: http://bit.ly/1a2RskH

About

BluVac

Connect to compatible vacuum gauges via Bluetooth to perform detailed system evacuations. Features timed tests, decay tests, and data recording. Offers advanced reporting, multiple gauge connections, and geolocation for enhanced screenshots.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth gauge connection
  • Timed evacuation tests
  • Decay test functionality
  • Detailed results viewing
  • mQ Assist integration
  • Pro Report feature
  • Connect up to 6 gauges
Features
Read full description

Easily connect and perform detailed system evacuations with your BluVac+ Pro, BluVac+ LTE, and BluVac+ Micro vacuum gauges via Bluetooth. With the BluVac+ Pro, you can perform timed evacuation and decay tests, set target times, and view detailed results. For BluVac+ LTE and Micro, quickly record and display essential data. The app now features mQ Assist integration for evacuation guidance, an improved interface, and geolocation tracking for enhanced screenshots. Additional upgrades include a new Pro Report feature, the ability to connect up to 6 BluVac gauges simultaneously, and the option to rename gauges by their function (e.g., Pump, Core Tool, System). Plus, the decay test will now only start once the evacuation rate hits zero.

Screenshots

BluVac4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BluVac at Free against HVAC ResLoad's $199.99. BluVac also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). HVAC ResLoad's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 36%) and ratings volume (8 vs 2). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BluVac is free to download; HVAC ResLoad costs $199.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BluVac holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of HVAC ResLoad's written reviews are positive against 36% of BluVac's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HVAC ResLoad ships an update every 4 months, BluVac every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
HVAC ResLoad versus BluVac: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHVAC ResLoadBluVac
Price$199.99Free — better
Rating3.4 (8 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better36.4% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarmel Software CorporationmeasureQuick

Customer experience

HVAC ResLoad

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

BluVac

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative59.1%

In-app purchases

None

HVAC ResLoad

No in-app purchases

None

BluVac

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HVAC ResLoad free?
HVAC ResLoad costs $199.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BluVac free?
BluVac is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HVAC ResLoad or BluVac?
BluVac is rated higher. HVAC ResLoad averages 3.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while BluVac averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do HVAC ResLoad or BluVac have ads?
Neither HVAC ResLoad nor BluVac shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HVAC ResLoad or BluVac?
HVAC ResLoad ships an update every 4 months, and BluVac every 2 months. Most recently, HVAC ResLoad was updated on October 29, 2026 and BluVac on October 12, 2026.

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