For HVAC contractors
Room-by-Room Measurements for HVAC Load Calculations
vPlan AR measures a house room by room from one walk-through with an iPhone Pro or iPad Pro and exports each room's area, ceiling height, wall runs and window sizes, with north on the plan, so you can enter them in your load calculation software instead of measuring by hand.
Why HVAC contractors switch to LiDAR floor plans
Load calculations need every room
A room-by-room calculation means measuring every room, its ceiling and every window. That is the slowest part of the site visit.
Window sizes and directions get missed
Glass drives the cooling load, and which way it faces matters. A scan records every window with its size, and new scans record north from the compass.
Rules of thumb oversize equipment
Sizing by square footage alone tends to oversize systems. Measured rooms make the room-by-room calculation quick enough to do every time.
How it works
Scan the house
Walk each room with a LiDAR iPhone or iPad. Rooms, ceiling heights, doors and windows come out on the plan, with north from the compass.
Check it on the web
Open the plan in the browser editor to name rooms, fix anything the scan missed, and see which way each window faces from the north arrow.
Export the measurements
Download the room and window schedules as Excel or CSV, or the room-by-room measurement sheets with each wall run and its openings.
Run your load calculation
Enter the areas, heights and windows in the load calculation software you already use. vPlan AR measures; it doesn't calculate loads.
What you can deliver
Room schedule
Pro+Every room's width, length, area, perimeter and ceiling height in Excel or CSV.
Window schedule
Pro+Each window's room, width, height and sill height.
Measurement sheets
Pro+Room by room: each wall run with its length and the doors and windows in it.
Dimensioned PDF plan
All plansTrue-scale plan with room sizes and a north arrow, for the job file and the duct layout (watermarked on Free).
Which plan do HVAC contractors need?
Most HVAC contractors start on Pro ($19/month) for unlimited projects and the schedules and measurement sheets. Companies with several comfort advisors sharing projects, or that want the REST API to pull measurements into their own tools, choose Business ($39/month). Compare plans.
Connect the software you already use
Plans can flow into your load calculation and duct design software through the vPlan AR API and webhooks on Business, or as open files (PDF, DXF, IFC, CSV, Excel). See integrations or ask your software vendor.
Sample files for HVAC contractors
Exported on the Pro plan from the sample house, a drawn example project with a sample claim (not a real property or client). Free plan PDFs are one level and watermarked.
- Schedules and material takeoffExcelRooms, doors, windows and damage schedules, and the finish takeoff: flooring with waste, paint in gallons, baseboard, as numbers a spreadsheet can sum.Download sample ↓
- Architectural plan setPDFCover sheet with sheet index and area summary, a true-scale 1/4" = 1'-0" floor plan with dimensions, room tags and door and window sizes, and schedules with the finish takeoff. Tabloid, 3 sheets.Download sample ↓
Frequently asked questions
Does vPlan AR do Manual J load calculations?
No. vPlan AR measures the house and exports the room areas, ceiling heights and window sizes; you enter them in the load calculation software you use.
Can I get room volumes?
Yes. The room schedule lists each room's area and ceiling height; multiply them for the volume.
How do I know which way the windows face?
New scans record north from the iPhone's compass and show a north arrow on the plan and the PDF. Read each window's direction from the wall it sits on, and check the arrow on site if the compass was disturbed.
Which devices can scan?
An iPhone 12 Pro or newer Pro model, or an iPad Pro with LiDAR. Without one, you can draw the rooms in the web editor from your own measurements and export the same schedules.
Guides for HVAC contractors
- Which iPhones Have LiDAR? The Complete List for 2026Only Pro iPhones have LiDAR. Here is every iPhone and iPad with a LiDAR scanner as of 2026, how to check your device in ten seconds, and your options if it lacks one.
- DXF vs PDF vs OBJ vs XML: Which Floor Plan Export Format Do You Need?Same scan, four very different files. Here's what each format is actually for, who should be opening it, and how to stop guessing which one to attach to the email.
- True-Scale Architectural Plan Sets, Straight from Your ScanFloor plan PDFs in vPlan AR are now true-scale architectural sheets with room tags, dimension strings, door and window schedules, every level in one set and a 3D cover.
- How to Calculate the Square Footage of a HouseMultiply each room's length by its width and add the rooms up. Here is how to handle irregular rooms, what to include and leave out, why interior and exterior figures differ, and a worked example.
Scan your first property free
The Free plan includes 2 projects per month. No credit card required.
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