As part of my professional practice, I regularly carry out detailed heat-loss calculations and produce technical reports recommending upgrades to heating systems and improvements to the overall building fabric and infrastructure.

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In December, I was required to complete an exceptionally complex heat-loss analysis, which took more than 23 hours to finalise. This highlighted a significant issue in my existing workflow: while the calculations themselves are essential, they were consuming a disproportionate amount of time and limiting my capacity to focus on analysis, interpretation, and the quality of my written recommendations.

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In response, I decided to apply my newly acquired front- and back-end development skills and explore the use of AI as a support tool. The objective was to design an application that could automate repetitive and error-prone calculations, enabling me to prioritise higher-value technical communication tasks such as validating results, identifying patterns, and clearly explaining findings to clients.

 

Claude (AI) and I developed a heat-loss calculator application, available on GitHub and hosted on Netlify. The tool has allowed me to streamline the calculation phase of my work and reallocate time towards producing clearer, more consistent, and user-focused reports.

 

Over the past month, I have actively used the application in live scenarios and undertaken a critical review of its performance. I have identified several functional and usability shortcomings, which I intend to address in the coming months. These improvements will focus on accuracy, usability, and alignment with real-world reporting requirements.