TrueQuote AI - A Load Calculation, Not a Sales Call
TrueQuote AI runs an ACCA Manual J load calculation on your home, recommends correctly sized equipment, and lets you buy it online. No in-home sales visit, no upsell, no commission pressure. This page explains exactly how the calculation works and what the tool does - and does not - do.
What TrueQuote AI Actually Does
TrueQuote AI is a free, self-serve tool that runs an ACCA Manual J load calculation on your home, maps the calculated load to a band of equipment that fits, and shows the installed price online - parts, labor, permits, manufacturer registration in a single number. There is no appointment setter, no in-home closer, and no commission structure that rewards upselling you to a bigger system.
The reason this tool exists is the same reason the rest of Comfort Pros exists: the price of a system replacement used to move depending on how the conversation in the living room went. A correctly sized system at a known price, on the screen, before anyone gets in a truck, is the fix for that.
Run a TrueQuoteFour Things TrueQuote AI Is
A load calculation, not a sales call
The first output of TrueQuote AI is the required equipment capacity in tons. That number is not a marketing line - it is the result of an ACCA Manual J calculation against your inputs and your climate zone.
Correctly sized, not oversized
Oversizing is the most expensive mistake in residential HVAC. A 5-ton system on an 1,800 sq ft home in Chandler short-cycles, drives up the utility bill, and wears out the compressor years early. TrueQuote AI recommends the capacity that fits the load - even when a larger system would pay our company more.
Climate-zone-specific, not national
The Phoenix design temperature and the Burbank design temperature produce different sized equipment on the same square footage. TrueQuote uses ASHRAE 1% design temperatures for the specific climate, not a national average.
Flat-rate price, on the screen
You see the price before you decide. Parts, labor, permits, manufacturer registration - all in one number. That number is the number on the invoice if you go ahead. No hourly meter, no surprise extras, no discovered upsell.
Three Things TrueQuote AI Is Not
An online calculator is easy to confuse with a sales funnel. Here is what we deliberately built TrueQuote AI not to do.
It is not an estimator that hides the math
Some online tools give you a price with no calculation behind it - they are sales funnels, not sizing tools. TrueQuote shows the inputs, the climate data, and the calculated load before the price. If the result does not look right, the calculation is right there to argue with.
It is not an upsell path
The tool recommends the equipment that fits the load at the efficiency tiers you pick. There is no commission to upgrade to a bigger system, and no commission structure to push a particular brand. GreenTek is on the screen next to Carrier, Lennox, Trane, Ruud and Rheem because it is genuinely a fair comparison, not because it pays us more.
It is not a replacement for an in-home diagnostic
For a replacement on a house with known issues - undersized ductwork, a problematic orientation, a known equipment-room constraint - a Manual J run by a tech in the home produces a better number than an online calculator can. TrueQuote AI gets the 90% case right; the 10% that needs a tech in the attic is the case that gets a tech in the attic.
How the Load Calculation Runs
Seven steps from home envelope to flat-rate price. Each step is mapped to the ACCA standard so the math is traceable - if you want to argue with the result, the inputs are right there to argue with.
- 01
Home envelope
Square footage, ceiling height, orientation, window count and rough U-factor.
The starting inputs are the ones a technician would collect on a site visit. They set the boundary conditions for the heat-gain math - how much heat the building pulls in from sun, sky and conduction.
Standard
Manual J §4 - Building envelope
- 02
Climate-zone design temperature
Phoenix, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena - each gets its own 1%-design day.
TrueQuote uses ASHRAE 1% design temperatures for the specific climate zone, not a national average. The number of cooling hours per year in Phoenix is not the same as the number in Burbank, and the equipment that fits one home will short-cycle or struggle in the other.
Standard
Manual J §5 - Climate data
- 03
Duct and insulation assumptions
Attic, wall, duct R-values - the heat the equipment has to overcome.
If the ducts leak into the attic, the equipment has to make up for that. The calculator uses measured insulation and duct R-values so the required capacity reflects what is actually in the home, not what a builder spec sheet promised.
Standard
Manual J §6 - Duct and envelope loads
- 04
Internal gains
Occupants, lighting, appliances - the heat you add to the house.
Standard ACCA defaults are applied for occupants, lighting and appliance load. The math is conservative on the high side so the recommended capacity covers a normal occupied home rather than an empty one.
Standard
Manual J §7 - Internal loads
- 05
Total cooling load - tons
The number the rest of the process keys off.
The output is a required cooling capacity in BTU per hour and tons. This is the number that determines equipment sizing. It is the same number a tech would write on a quote if they ran the calculation by hand.
Standard
Manual J output - total load
- 06
Equipment matching - Manual S
Recommended capacity band, not a single oversized number.
The calculated load is mapped to a Manual S equipment match: a band of capacities that fit the load at this climate, not a single point. You see the equipment options that genuinely fit the home, at the efficiency tiers the manufacturer publishes.
Standard
Manual S - Equipment selection
- 07
Flat-rate price - one number
Parts, labor, permits, manufacturer registration in a single line.
The price that comes back is the number on the invoice if you buy. No add-ons, no discovered extras, no commission pressure to upgrade. That is the price. Buy it, walk away, or come back later - it does not change.
Standard
Flat-rate pricing - quoted before work starts
TrueQuote vs. a Typical In-Home Quote
| Step | Typical in-home quote | TrueQuote AI |
|---|---|---|
| Where it happens | Living-room appointment with a commissioned salesperson | Online, self-serve, on your time |
| Sizing method | Rule of thumb from the old unit, frequently oversized | ACCA Manual J load calculation against ASHRAE 1% design temperature |
| Climate data | National average, same number AZ and CA | Climate-zone-specific 1% design temperature for the home address |
| Brand comparison | Whatever the salesperson is paid to push | GreenTek, Carrier, Lennox, Trane, Ruud, Rheem side by side at the same capacity and efficiency tier |
| How the price is set | Negotiated in the room, often with finance/upsell pressure | Flat-rate parts + labor + permits in one number, on the screen |
| Follow-up pressure | Phone, email, text - "today only" pricing | None. The price on the screen is the same price if you come back next month |
| When a tech visit is required | Always, for the in-home appointment | Only for the ~10% of homes with envelope, duct or access issues that need a manual inspection |
Armen Reviews the Hard Ones
TrueQuote AI is a tool the company built. On a standard replacement - a single-zone home, a known insulation level, a typical duct layout - the calculator gets the answer right and the quote goes out automatically. On complex replacements - multi-zone systems, homes with significant envelope issues, projects where the sizing is non-obvious - Armen reviews the calculation personally before the quote goes out.
That is an odd thing for an owner to spend time on. It is also exactly why the sizing holds up. The calculator is the workhorse; the human review is the backstop. The same backstop is what you get on a tech visit when the home needs one - the work is reviewed by the person whose name is on the company.
About the qualifying partyTrueQuote AI Questions
Is TrueQuote AI actually a Manual J?
Do I need to let a salesperson into my home to use TrueQuote AI?
What does TrueQuote AI price - just equipment, or installation too?
Does TrueQuote AI work for both Arizona and California homes?
What brands does TrueQuote AI compare?
What if the load calculation comes back bigger than my current system?
Does Armen really review the math on complex replacements?
Can I use TrueQuote AI if I am just researching?
Still have a question?
Call the team in your state and talk to someone who actually works on these systems.
Run the Calculation - No Appointment, No Sales Visit
TrueQuote AI is free, self-serve, and on your time. The price on the screen is the price on the invoice if you decide to buy.
California team: (818) 690-7951 · Text us: (818) 489-2826