What You'll Learn

• What the Vitals Score ranges mean: 90-100 (excellent), 70-89 (good), 50-69 (fair), below 50 (poor)
• How age adjustment works and what vitals_score, vitals_age_adjusted, and age_loss represent
• How subsystem results contribute to the score, including severity weighting
• Why two systems with the same pass/fail pattern can have different scores
• How to use the Vitals Score for customer communication
• How to demonstrate improvement using test-in vs test-out score comparisons
• When the Vitals Score is not available and why

What You'll Need

• Device: iPhone (iOS 15+) or Android phone (Android 10+) with measureQuick installed
• Account: measureQuick account with active subscription
• Context: A completed test with probes connected, or familiarity with a recent test result
• Knowledge: Understanding of the Vitals Score overview (J3) and fault severity levels (I2)
• Time: 8 minutes to read

Score Ranges

The Vitals Score is a single number from 0 to 100 that summarizes overall system health. It condenses the results of multiple subsystem evaluations into one figure that both technicians and homeowners can understand.

These ranges are guidelines, not hard boundaries. A score of 71 and a score of 69 describe systems that are functionally similar. The value of the score is in the general category it places the system in, and in tracking changes over time.

Vitals Score displayed as 100% A+ on the A/C System Vitals report with color-coded measurement ranges

Age Adjustment

Not every system is new. A 15-year-old air conditioner that scores 72 is performing differently than a brand-new unit that scores 72. measureQuick accounts for this with age adjustment.

Three fields capture this:

For example, a 12-year-old system might have:

• vitals_score: 68 (fair, based on raw measurements)
• age_loss: 7 (7 points of expected degradation from age)
• vitals_age_adjusted: 75 (good, relative to its age)

The raw score of 68 tells you the system is underperforming relative to new-equipment targets. The age-adjusted score of 75 tells you the system is actually performing well for a 12-year-old unit. Both pieces of information are useful, depending on the conversation.

When talking to a homeowner about maintaining their current system, the age-adjusted score is more relevant: "Your system is performing well for its age." When evaluating whether a system meets current efficiency standards or comparing it to a new installation, the raw score is more appropriate.

How Subsystem Results Feed the Score

The Vitals Score is not a simple average of pass/fail results. It incorporates two layers of nuance:

Severity Weighting

Not all subsystem failures carry equal weight. A refrigerant charge failure that causes the compressor to overheat has a larger impact on the score than a marginally high static pressure reading. The weighting reflects the real-world severity of each condition - how much it affects efficiency, equipment longevity, comfort, and safety.

Subsystems related to safety (venting, CO levels) and compressor health (charge, electrical, discharge temperature) carry heavier weight than comfort-only measurements. This means a single critical failure can pull the score down substantially, even if most other subsystems pass.

Measurement Magnitude

This is a key distinction: the Vitals Score considers how far out of range a measurement is, not just whether it passed or failed. Two systems can have the same subsystem pass/fail pattern and different Vitals Scores because the degree of failure differs.

Consider two systems that both fail the refrigerant charge subsystem:

• System A has superheat at 18F against a target of 12F (6 degrees over)
• System B has superheat at 35F against a target of 12F (23 degrees over)

Both show a red flag on refrigerant charge. Both would appear identical in a pass/fail-only view. But System B is in far worse condition, and its Vitals Score reflects that. The further a measurement deviates from the target, the more it pulls the score down.

This is why the Vitals Score adds information beyond the pass/fail results. Two technicians looking at the same pass/fail pattern might disagree on severity. The Vitals Score quantifies severity based on measurement magnitude.

Using the Score for Customer Communication

The Vitals Score exists partly to bridge the gap between technical diagnostics and homeowner understanding. Telling a homeowner "Your superheat is 35 degrees against a target of 12" means nothing to them. Telling them "Your system scored 47 out of 100" is immediately understandable.

Effective Communication Patterns

Initial assessment: "We ran a full diagnostic on your system. It scored 62 out of 100 - that puts it in the 'fair' range. The system is cooling your house, but it is working harder than it should and using more energy than a properly tuned system."

After repair: "After the service, we ran the diagnostic again. Your system improved from 62 to 88 - that is in the 'good' range. The charge correction and airflow adjustment brought it back to where it should be operating."

Replacement discussion: "Your system scored 38 out of 100. Even accounting for its age, that is below the 'fair' threshold. We can make repairs, but given the system's age and the number of issues, a replacement may be more cost-effective over the next few years."

The score gives the homeowner a reference point. It is concrete, comparable, and easy to remember. Pair it with the measureQuick report (which includes the detailed subsystem results) for full documentation.

Score Improvement: Test In vs Test Out

One of the most powerful uses of the Vitals Score is the before/after comparison. The test-in captures the system's condition when you arrive. The test-out captures the condition after your work. The difference in Vitals Score quantifies the improvement you delivered.

A test-in score of 54 and a test-out score of 91 is a clear, documented demonstration of value. The homeowner can see exactly what changed, and the report provides the measurement-level detail to back it up.

For this comparison to work:

• Save the test-in before making any repairs, with all red flags intact (do not override pre-repair failures)
• Perform the repair
• Run the test-out under similar conditions (same outdoor temperature range, system fully stabilized)
• The score difference represents the measurable improvement

When the Vitals Score Is Not Available

The Vitals Score requires a minimum number of physical probe channels to produce a meaningful result. If too few probes are connected, the app does not have enough data to evaluate the system comprehensively, and it will not display a score.

The probe count that matters here is physical probes - actual instruments connected to the system. Calculated channels (e.g., subcooling derived from temperature and known refrigerant properties without a live pressure reading) and weather data channels do not count toward this minimum. The probe_count_physical field in the test record tracks this.

If the Vitals Score is not displayed:

• Check how many physical probes are connected
• Verify that probes are recognized by the app (sometimes a probe is physically connected but not communicating)
• Add the missing probes if available. Common gaps: outdoor temperature, suction pressure, or liquid line temperature

A test without a Vitals Score still has individual subsystem pass/fail results. You lose the single summary number, but the measurement-level diagnostics remain valid.

Tips & Common Issues

The score seems low even though the system is cooling the house

A system can cool a house while operating inefficiently. The Vitals Score evaluates how well the system operates relative to its design parameters, not just whether it produces cool air. A system with low charge, high static pressure, and voltage imbalance will still cool - but it will use more energy, wear out faster, and deliver less comfort than a properly tuned system.

The age-adjusted score is higher than I expected

Age adjustment gives credit for expected degradation. A 20-year-old system with a raw score of 55 may have an age-adjusted score in the 70s because that level of performance is reasonable for equipment of that age. The adjustment does not mean the system is in good shape - it means it is in reasonable shape for its age.

Two tests on the same system show different scores a week apart

The Vitals Score depends on current operating conditions. Outdoor temperature, indoor load, and even time of day affect the measurements that feed the score. A system tested at 95F outdoor will produce different readings than the same system at 75F. For the most meaningful comparison, test under similar conditions.

The customer only wants to know the number

That is fine. The Vitals Score is designed for exactly this purpose. Give them the number, explain the range it falls in, and share the full report for their records. They do not need to understand every subsystem to understand "62 out of 100, fair condition, here is what we recommend."

Related Articles

Prerequisites (complete these first):

• HVAC Vitals Score - Overview of what the Vitals Score is and how it is generated
• Fault Types: Minor vs Major - Fault severity levels that feed into the score

Follow-up articles (next steps after this one):

• Generating Reports - How to produce the customer-facing report that includes the Vitals Score
• Explaining Results to Customers - Communication techniques for presenting diagnostic findings

Related in the same domain:

• Red Flags Explained - Understanding the subsystem failures that reduce the Vitals Score
• Target Zones - How acceptable measurement ranges are determined
• Electrical Diagnostics - One of the subsystems that contributes to the score

Need Help?

If you have questions about the Vitals Score or how to interpret it:

• Check the Related Articles section above
• Contact measureQuick support: support@measurequick.com
• Schedule a training session with the measureQuick training team