A heating and cooling unit is no longer just hardware. Its value increasingly comes from what happens around the device: the mobile app, the user account, remote control, telemetry, and the cloud that ties it all together. For an HVAC manufacturer, that means HVAC software development becomes part of the product, not an add-on.
In our experience, the hard part is not inventing features but delivering them on time, with a team that understands both the device and the cloud. For a global heating and cooling systems manufacturer we built exactly that team and developed its apps and cloud layer, combining a Java backend, a native iOS app and cloud DevOps.
Why do HVAC systems now need their own apps and cloud?
Because both what the user expects and what the manufacturer needs have changed:
- the user wants to control heating and cooling from a phone, not a wall panel,
- the service team wants to know remotely what the unit is doing, before the customer calls,
- the manufacturer wants data across the whole fleet, not one-off tickets,
- the product lifecycle gets longer, because app and cloud updates add value after the sale.
All of this calls for software maintained over years, not a one-off rollout.
Which apps do we most often build for HVAC?
On projects for manufacturers, we focus on the layer that actually touches the user and the service team:
- mobile apps for control and monitoring (native iOS, Android),
- portals and panels for users, installers and service,
- remote diagnostics and service-request features,
- integration with the device and the manufacturer’s existing systems.
For our HVAC client, the team developed and optimised the functionality and UX of its own apps, aligning them with the business goals and user expectations.
What does the cloud layer for HVAC devices look like?
The app is only the tip. Underneath, you need a cloud platform for HVAC devices that can carry telemetry and traffic from the whole fleet:
- backend and APIs (Java, Spring, microservices) at the core,
- containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) for scale,
- CI/CD and infrastructure as code (Jenkins, Terraform, Ansible, Helm),
- a public cloud (e.g. GCP) as the runtime environment.
This foundation lets you add features without rewriting the whole thing and handle a growing number of connected devices.
How do you connect the app to the device: embedded, cloud, app?
An HVAC product lives where three layers meet, and each has different requirements:
- the device (embedded) collects data and executes commands,
- the cloud ingests telemetry, stores data and exposes APIs,
- the app turns that into control and a view for the user.
Value appears only when those layers work together, so we look at the project end to end, not at a single screen. We covered how we build the app layer for networked devices in our article on apps for connected products and IoT.
How do you make an HVAC app that is actually used?
A heating-control app is worth as much as its daily use. So we work to make sure that:
- everyday actions (changing the temperature, a schedule) are simple and fast,
- the device state is readable, also for a non-technical person,
- service and diagnostics do not require a call to a hotline,
- the app is consistent with the rest of the manufacturer’s ecosystem.
On the HVAC project, optimising functionality and UX was precisely our team’s main goal.
Which skills do we provide for an HVAC project?
We shaped the team around the specific work, not “just in case”:
- an architect / Java developer setting the technical direction and backend,
- an iOS developer owning the native app,
- a DevOps specialist building deployments, cloud and the CI/CD pipeline.
That setup, an architect plus iOS and DevOps specialists, let a four-person team take real ownership of the client’s apps.
How fast can a team join an HVAC project?
Speed is the point. On the HVAC project, most specialists joined within one month of the recommendation. Our recruitment usually closes in about three weeks, stretching to two months only for non-standard requirements. As a nearshore partner from Poland we work in a close time zone, so the team joins your working rhythm, code reviews and meetings without a long ramp-up.
Custom software or team augmentation: what pays off for HVAC?
It depends on whether you are building from scratch or developing an existing product. For something new, a custom software project with a clear scope works well; for the ongoing development of apps and cloud, team augmentation or a dedicated team. On the HVAC project it was the latter: our specialists developed the apps under the client’s management, adding skills exactly where they were missing.
How do we do it at RITS?
We do it as a nearshore partner from Poland, with real experience in HVAC and industrial projects:
- for a global heating and cooling systems manufacturer we supplied a team that developed its apps and cloud layer (Java/Spring, native iOS, DevOps on GCP/Kubernetes),
- most specialists joined within one month of the recommendation,
- we join app, backend and cloud into one maintainable whole,
- we verify skills before the start and shape the team around the project.
Most often we do this as custom software built by our team and, where skills need topping up fast, as team augmentation.
Where to start with apps and cloud for HVAC?
Start from the single most important user path (e.g. remote control or service diagnostics) and from the question of what data the cloud must carry. That defines the app scope, the backend architecture and the roles you need. We covered the differences between engagement models in our article on IT engagement models.
Building apps or cloud for HVAC systems? Let’s talk - we’ll match a team and an architecture to your product.