Frequently Asked Questions

AIM Works is the AI design assistant for any mechanical project. Office, hospital, lab, data center, district plant — enter the design basis once, pick your scope from a catalog of 94 mechanical modules (all live, every one labeled validated, advisory, or reference with its method and limitations disclosed), and the AI co-pilot fills in the rest. Goes from load calc through equipment selection, hydronics, controls, compliance, and engineer-grade PDF deliverables — all from one consistent project state.

AIM Works is built for mechanical engineers, HVAC designers, and MEP consultants working on commercial, industrial, and specialty projects. It's useful for engineers at every level — from first-year engineers who need guidance through the process, to senior engineers who want to move faster and standardize their workflow.

AIM Works is fully cloud-based — it runs in your browser with no installation required. Your projects are saved to your account and accessible from any device.

AIM Works is designed for design-phase engineering — sizing systems, calculating loads, selecting equipment, and checking compliance. For whole-building energy modeling or detailed simulation, dedicated energy modeling tools are still appropriate. AIM Works complements those workflows by handling the design and sizing calculations that precede or inform energy modeling.

No. AIM Works was specifically designed to support engineers at all experience levels. Calculation methods are documented with code references, the AI assistant provides context and guidance, and project templates give junior engineers a solid starting point. That said, engineering judgment is always required — AIM Works is a tool, not a replacement for qualified engineering review.

AIM Works implements three methods: RTS (Radiant Time Series per ASHRAE HOF 2021 Ch. 18, the default) with clear-sky solar geometry and a cooling-season month sweep — each zone reported at its own peak month and hour, zone airflow from room sensible load with ventilation OA reported as a separate coil block; CLTD/CLF; and Simplified (U×A×ΔT + solar gains + internal loads). All three are altitude-corrected. These are design-day peak loads, not 8,760-hour energy simulation.

AIM Works is built on ASHRAE 62.1-2019 (ventilation), ASHRAE 90.1-2022 (energy efficiency), ASHRAE 15-2022 (refrigerant safety), the ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, IMC 2021, IFGC 2021, NFPA 90A/90B/96/99, and NEC 430 (motor circuits). Code references are shown inline throughout the tool so you always know where a value or rule comes from.

AIM Works uses IP (imperial) units at launch. SI (metric) display is on the near-term roadmap.

Every module is labeled with its maturity: validated (checked against a published worked example, citation shown), advisory (a real calculation from published methods, offered as a design starting point), or reference (a checklist keyed to your project — never presented as an engineered result). The method, assumptions, and limitations are disclosed on each workspace and in the exports, so you always know how far to trust a number. As with any design tool, accuracy also depends on the quality of inputs — garbage in, garbage out.

No. The 14-day free trial requires no credit card. You only need to provide payment information when you decide to upgrade to a paid plan.

When your trial expires, your account is paused. You can no longer run new calculations or use the AI assistant, but your project data is retained. You can upgrade to a paid plan at any time to restore full access.

Plans can be billed monthly or annually. Annual billing is discounted (about 2 months free): Starter is $999/yr (about $83/mo) and Professional is $2,499/yr (about $208/mo), charged once at the start of each billing year. Monthly billing is $99/mo or $249/mo, cancel anytime.

Yes. You can cancel at any time from your account's billing portal. Your access continues through the end of your current annual period — there are no partial refunds for unused time.

Yes. Project data is stored in Supabase (PostgreSQL), encrypted at rest and in transit. Access is scoped to your account — no other user can access your projects. We do not sell or share your data with third parties.

Your project data is retained for 90 days after cancellation, giving you time to export any work. After that period, data is permanently deleted. We recommend exporting PDF reports and CSV schedules before cancelling.

Yes. The 60+ free HVAC calculators require no account and have no usage limits. They will always be free.