h2x vs Carrier HAP
This h2x vs Carrier HAP comparison looks at how both platforms handle heating and cooling loads, HVAC system sizing, psychrometrics, 3D building modeling, energy analysis, Revit workflows, detailed system design and project outputs.
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h2x vs Carrier HAP: The short answer
h2x and Carrier HAP both support detailed heating and cooling load calculations and HVAC system sizing, but they extend those calculations in different directions.
Carrier HAP combines building loads with HVAC equipment sizing and detailed annual energy modeling.
h2x connects calculated loads directly with visual HVAC and wider MEP system design, including detailed ductwork and hydronic pipework, automatic sizing, pressure loss calculations and project outputs.
Choose h2x if:
You want heating and cooling loads connected directly with detailed ductwork, pipework, automatic sizing and wider MEP system design.
Choose Carrier HAP if:
Annual energy modeling, HVAC equipment sizing, and comparing building energy use and operating costs are your main workflow.
What are h2x and Carrier HAP used for?
h2x is cloud-based MEP design software for mechanical, plumbing and fire engineers. It connects building load calculations directly with system layouts and automatic sizing, keeping calculations and the engineering design in sync as projects change.
- Heating and cooling load calculations
- Psychrometric HVAC calculations
- Connected HVAC layouts and automatic sizing
- Detailed ductwork and hydronic pipework design
- Airflow, pressure loss, pump and fan duty calcs
- Mechanical, plumbing and fire workflows
- Built-in 2D and 3D design review
- PDF, BOM, AutoCAD and Revit outputs
Carrier HAP, or Hourly Analysis Program, is HVAC load calculation, system sizing and energy modeling software for commercial buildings. It combines peak load calculations with HVAC equipment selection data and detailed annual energy analysis.
- Heating and cooling load calculations
- HVAC system and equipment sizing
- ASHRAE Heat Balance calculations
- Psychrometric analysis
- 8,760-hour annual energy modeling
- Energy consumption and cost analysis
- 3D building modeling
- gbXML import from Revit and other BIM tools
h2x vs Carrier HAP comparison table
| Comparison area | h2x | Carrier HAP |
|---|---|---|
| Product overview | ||
| Primary purpose and best fit | Connected MEP engineering design combining building loads, visual system layouts, engineering calculations, automatic sizing and project outputs. | Commercial HVAC load calculation, system and equipment sizing and whole-building energy modeling, including analysis of annual energy consumption and operating costs. |
| Engineering scope | Mechanical, plumbing and fire design within one platform, including heating, cooling, ventilation, ductwork, hydronic systems, domestic water, drainage, gas and fire protection. | Primarily focused on commercial HVAC building loads, air systems, equipment and plant sizing, psychrometric analysis and building energy modeling. |
| Platform and access | Cloud-based platform accessed through a supported web browser; internet access is required. | Licensed software installed locally on a computer or supported workstation network. |
| Building model and load calculations | ||
| Floor plans and building geometry | Upload PDF floor plans and create rooms, walls, windows and other building elements directly over the project background before continuing into detailed MEP system design. | Import and scale architectural floor plan images, sketch spaces, define multiple building levels and add windows, doors and skylights. HAP automatically calculates building geometry and extrudes the resulting model into 3D. |
| Heating and cooling loads | Calculates room-by-room heating and cooling loads, with results remaining connected to HVAC layouts and automatic system sizing as the project changes. | Calculates space, zone and system heating and cooling loads across monthly design days, including detailed building envelope, internal, ventilation and system effects. |
| Calculation methods and standards | Uses EnergyPlus and the ASHRAE-endorsed Heat Balance Method for heat gain calculations. Supports ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 183-2024 compliant peak-load calculations, ASHRAE 62.1:2022 ventilation requirements and other regional and international methods and standards. | Uses the ASHRAE Heat Balance Method and integrates the EnergyPlus calculation engine. Supports ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation calculations; its energy modeling workflows support ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Cost Budget and Performance Rating Method requirements and have been tested using ASHRAE Standard 140 procedures. |
| Weather and design conditions | Uses ASHRAE 2025 climatic design conditions, with configurable project design conditions and ASHRAE design-day workflows for heat gain calculations. | Includes built-in design and simulation weather data for thousands of locations worldwide, with support for importing external weather files. |
| Psychrometric analysis | Supports psychrometric HVAC calculations including air mixing, heating, cooling, humidification and dehumidification, with results connected to ventilation, coil and airflow sizing workflows. | Provides system psychrometric analysis covering airflow rates, temperatures, humidity and heat flows, with both tabular results and graphical psychrometric charts. |
| HVAC design and analysis | ||
| Connected load to HVAC workflow | Calculated building loads feed directly into the visual HVAC system design, where they are used for duct, pipe and equipment sizing and remain connected as the design changes. | Building loads feed into HAP's system-based HVAC sizing workflow. System design inputs are also reused directly for annual energy modeling, reducing the need to recreate the energy model. |
| HVAC system and equipment sizing | Sizes supported HVAC systems and components while calculating airflows, water flow rates, velocities, pressure losses and fan or pump duties within the connected project. | Calculates space, zone and system airflows and provides sizing data for equipment and plant, including coils, fans, terminals, heat pumps, chillers and boilers. |
| Detailed ductwork and pipework design | Engineers can draw ductwork and hydronic pipework directly on the project floor plan, with automatic sizing, flow rates, velocities, pressure losses, index runs and fan or pump duties calculated from the physical system layout. | HAP calculates HVAC airflows and provides extensive system and equipment sizing data. Carrier's documented HAP workflow focuses on system analysis and equipment sizing rather than detailed duct and hydronic pipe network layout and sizing. |
| Annual energy modeling and cost analysis | h2x keeps engineering load calculations connected to the physical HVAC system design, including ductwork, pipework, equipment sizing and system calculations as the design changes. It does not currently provide an equivalent 8,760-hour annual energy and utility cost modeling workflow. | Performs true hour-by-hour analysis across all 8,760 hours of the year, modeling building loads, HVAC and plant operation, energy consumption, utility rates and annual operating costs. |
| Project delivery and collaboration | ||
| Main project outputs | Branded PDF drawings, heat load and calculation reports, sizing reports, Bills of Materials, schedules, AutoCAD and Revit outputs and secure browser-based design sharing. | Heat load, airflow and equipment sizing reports, heat balance summaries, hourly load profiles, psychrometric charts, plant sizing reports and annual energy, emissions and operating cost reports. |
| CAD and BIM interoperability | Exports designs to AutoCAD and syncs supported calculated system elements into editable Revit models, with components mapped to company families and BIM content. | Supports gbXML-based building model import from Revit, AutoCAD and other compatible BIM tools to accelerate building geometry setup for load calculations and energy modeling. |
| Collaboration and design review | Secure read-only browser links allow colleagues, clients and stakeholders to review the latest design and connected calculations without requiring an h2x licence or software installation. | Supports licensed installations on individual computers and multi-workstation networks, with project analysis shared through HAP project data and reports. |
| Adoption, training and pricing | ||
| Implementation, training and support | Browser-based setup with guided demonstrations, live training, self-service learning resources and 24/7 support from the h2x team. | Requires software installation and licensing. Carrier provides an integrated help system, HAP v6 training videos, Carrier University courses and technical support from its HVAC software team. |
| Evaluation and pricing | Free project, demonstration and guided-evaluation options are available. Pricing is provided through a tailored quotation based on team size and required capabilities. | Carrier HAP offers a free 60-day eDesign software trial. The Carrier website currently lists HAP at US $1,995 or CA $2,445. eDesign software is licensed using a first year licence fee followed by renewal fees in subsequent years; pricing can vary by region. |
Note: Carrier HAP information on this page was last checked against publicly available product documentation in October 2026.
Where h2x and Carrier HAP differ
Both platforms support detailed heating and cooling load calculations and HVAC system sizing, but they extend those calculations into different parts of the engineering workflow.
Carrier HAP combines load calculations with system and equipment sizing and detailed annual energy modeling, while h2x carries calculated loads into visual HVAC layouts, detailed ductwork and pipework design and wider MEP systems.
Loads connected to detailed system design
h2x carries calculated room loads into the HVAC layout, keeping ducts, pipes, equipment and sizing connected as the design changes. Carrier HAP uses calculated loads to determine airflows and size components such as coils, fans, terminals, chillers and boilers.
Detailed duct and pipe design
h2x lets engineers draw and size ductwork and pipework on the project floor plan, calculating flow rates, velocities, pressure losses and fan or pump duties. Carrier HAP focuses on HVAC system analysis and equipment sizing rather than detailed duct and pipe design.
Annual energy modeling
Carrier HAP provides annual energy modeling covering HVAC operation, whole-building energy use, utility rates and operating costs. h2x takes a different approach, keeping load calculations connected to the physical HVAC system design, including ductwork, pipework, equipment sizing and system calcs as the layout changes.
Wider MEP design in one platform
h2x extends beyond HVAC into domestic water, drainage, gas, underfloor (radiant) heating and fire protection within the same connected project. Carrier HAP focuses on commercial HVAC load calculations, system and equipment sizing, psychrometrics and building energy analysis.
Should you choose h2x or Carrier HAP?
The better fit depends on whether you need load calculations connected directly with detailed HVAC and wider MEP system design, or whether detailed HVAC system analysis and whole-building annual energy modeling are the main requirements.
Verdict: h2x is the stronger fit for teams that want heating and cooling loads connected directly with detailed HVAC and wider MEP system design, automatic duct and pipe sizing and project outputs. Carrier HAP is the stronger fit where detailed annual energy modeling, utility cost analysis and HVAC system and equipment simulation are central requirements.
Why engineering teams choose h2x
Engineering teams that need to move beyond load calculations and system-level sizing can use h2x to keep loads, detailed HVAC layouts, automatic duct and pipe sizing and engineering outputs within the same connected project.
Connect loads to HVAC design
Take calculated heating and cooling loads straight into ductwork, pipework and equipment layouts, with system sizing and calculations updating as the design changes.
Generate a BOM instantly
Create a detailed material takeoff directly from the latest system design, with pipes, ducts, fittings, valves and equipment kept aligned with the project.
Design and size ductwork faster
Draw duct systems on the floor plan while h2x automatically calculates sizes, airflow, velocity, pressure loss and fan duties within the same connected workflow.
What teams say about h2x
h2x vs Carrier HAP frequently asked questions
Ready to see how h2x can work for your team?
Book a demo to see how h2x connects heating and cooling loads with detailed HVAC and wider MEP system design, automatic duct and pipe sizing and professional project outputs, and whether it could fit alongside or replace parts of your current Carrier HAP workflow.
