METHOD · VERSION 1.0

Compare scope.
Keep the unknowns.

A worksheet for two or three US residential heat-pump quotes you already have. We do not supply bids, recommend contractors, or collect leads.

Editorial review: Good Measure Labs · Sources checked October 9, 2026. This is an experimental comparison aid, not a professional installation assessment.

What the comparison actually does

For each written quote, you can enter a USD total before incentives and mark equipment, installation labor, electrical work, permits and inspections, removal and disposal, and warranty as included, excluded, or unclear. Included means explicitly covered in the total; excluded means explicitly omitted or separately charged. Use unclear when the quote does not say.

The tool counts unclear and excluded entries across quotes, and counts categories whose labels differ. These are scope observations, not quality scores. It never recommends the lowest quote or selects a contractor.

If every total is present, the raw price difference is the highest entered total minus the lowest, rounded to cents. Missing totals remain missing; an entered zero remains $0. We do not add estimated costs to excluded items, deduct incentives, or normalize different equipment. Even matching labels do not establish comparable scope.

A reproducible example

Suppose Quote 1 totals $12,000 with electrical work excluded, and Quote 2 totals $14,000 with electrical work included. If all five other labels match as included, there is one differing category, one excluded item, no unclear items, and a raw total difference of $2,000. That is not a $2,000 saving: the separate electrical cost and equivalence of the work remain unknown.

Download the public methodology and synthetic example (JSON). This file contains no visitor inputs.

Questions worth asking beyond price

• Which indoor and outdoor models, controls, accessories, and spaces are covered? Are taxes and all necessary work reflected in the total?
• What calculation using your home’s characteristics informed the equipment selection? This worksheet does not size a system.
• How will the installer verify airflow and refrigerant charge, and assess ducts where applicable?
• Who is responsible for electrical work, permits, inspections, removal, and disposal? What happens if additional work is discovered?
• What are the written parts and labor warranty terms, exclusions, registration requirements, payment schedule, and scope-change process?

Sources and editorial choices

ENERGY STAR: HVAC Quality Installation supports asking about home-specific sizing, airflow, refrigerant charge, and ducts. Its installation bid comparison checklist (PDF) also encourages comparing installation practices. We use these as question prompts; we do not reproduce a certification, endorse an installer, or verify their answers.

Mass Save: choosing a heat-pump installer provides additional consumer guidance on reviewing installer proposals. Its program-specific rules apply to its own service area. Our six scope categories are an editorial worksheet, not a universal legal or technical standard.

What this cannot tell you

This tool does not assess technical suitability, local code compliance, credentials, installation quality, equipment sizing, operating costs, energy savings, or incentive eligibility. It does not calculate rebates or tax credits. Ask qualified local professionals for project-specific advice and verify any program directly with its current administrator.

Privacy and exports

All quote entries live only in this browser tab’s memory. They are not placed in URLs, cookies, browser storage, requests, or analytics. Reloading or closing the tab clears them. Reset clears current entries after confirmation. The site has no upload, account, name, address, contractor-contact field, or lead form.

Copying, downloading, or printing creates a document containing your totals and scope. You control where that document goes; reset cannot delete copies you have saved or shared. External source links open third-party websites with their own policies. Ordinary hosting requests may include network information such as an IP address; that is separate from your quote details.

Optional usage analytics are off until you allow them. If analytics controls are available, optional usage analytics load only after you press “Allow usage analytics.” They count starts, comparisons, and the first checklist action, never quote amounts or scope answers. Google receives ordinary network information and may set session analytics cookies after agreement. Advertising consent and advertising features are off. Only fixed activity parameters are passed to the tag; quote amounts and scope answers are never included. The removable same-origin frame manages tag lifecycle; it is not a browser-enforced security boundary. Turn analytics off to block event calls, disable and remove the tag document, and clear this tool’s analytics cookies. Requests already in flight cannot be recalled. Reloading also requires a new opt-in. Pre-consent actions are not replayed. The current visit’s already-sent events cannot be recalled.

Why we are testing this

Our hypothesis is that a private worksheet helps people who already have quotes prepare useful follow-up questions. It is unproven. There is no contractor network, referral arrangement, paid service, or promise of savings. Low traffic alone would not tell us whether the worksheet is useful.