Occasionally, a contractor will not have all the necessary information to calculate heat pump operating costs using bin data. If this information is not available, it is nice if the software will optionally allow the use of the heating degree day method. Although the heating degree day method is not as sophisticated as the bin data method, some contractors are very comfortable with the results it produces. Since there are often significant differences between the heating costs calculated using the degree day method and the bin data method, it is ideal if the operating cost software offers both ways to calculate heating costs. Just as important as reports, graphs, and calculation methodology, is ease of use.
Most contractors can only allocate very little time to software.
Unless, the program is simple and fast, it won't be used. In addition, all user friendly programs have built-in help available at every point in the program. Other important considerations of operating cost software include the user manual, phone support, update policies, and disk copy protection. The results of an operating cost program can sometimes disagree with what a contractor thinks it should be. If the program user manual doesn't completely document how calculations are performed, a contractor has no way of checking the results.