License types
nPro can be used under three types of license:
- Commercial license – paid, see order page
- Demo license – free for 3 weeks, registration via the tool page
- Academic license – free for universities in research and teaching, registration via the academic tool page using your institution’s email address. The conditions described below apply to the academic license.
Where can I find the full terms of use?
The full terms of use for commercial use are available here. If your company requires an adapted version, please get in touch.
Who can use an academic license?
The academic license is available to staff and students of universities and higher education institutions that are entitled to award academic degrees.
We ask other non-commercial users – such as research institutes, non-profit organizations or registered associations – to contact us. In some cases we can also provide an academic license for specific projects, or a commercial license on reduced terms.
Private companies cannot use an academic license, not even for activities within publicly funded projects.
What may an academic license be used for?
Use in academic research and teaching is permitted, for example
- in publicly funded projects (for instance funding from the European Union or government bodies),
- for bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral theses,
- in lectures and tutorials (for courses with more than 50 participants, please contact us in advance),
- for non-profit projects.
Please also note the information on use in teaching.
What may an academic license not be used for?
Projects funded predominantly by private companies or institutions without public funding are not permitted, in particular
- contract research for companies,
- commercial consulting services, including for public institutions.
A commercial license is required for these activities. If you are unsure which license applies to your project, please get in touch.
Further conditions of the academic license
Naming your institution
By using the academic license, you agree that we may publicly name your institution as a user of the tool and use its logo for this purpose, in particular on our website. If you do not wish us to do so, an informal email is sufficient.
Citing nPro
To enable us to offer nPro free of charge to academic users, we rely on your cooperation: please cite nPro in your publications, posters and presentations. A reference to our website (https://www.npro.energy) is particularly helpful, as it increases the visibility of the software.
Citation template:
nPro - District Energy Planning Tool. Available online: https://www.npro.energy (Accessed on DD.MM.YYYY).
Bibtex:
@misc{npro.website,
title = {nPro - District Energy Planning Tool},
url = {https://www.npro.energy},
note = {Accessed on DD.MM.YYYY}
}
Overview of use options
Disclaimer
The disclaimers set out in the terms of use apply to every license type.
The following additionally applies to non-commercial use: All nPro software services have been implemented with the utmost care and reflect the current state of the art. Despite careful review, no liability can be accepted for the accuracy and completeness of the calculation methods and results. In particular, the provider of nPro.energy accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages arising from the direct or indirect use of the content and services offered. Users of the software services expressly waive all claims of any kind against the operator of the site. This applies in particular to damage caused by malicious code (virus infection), hacker attack, software errors or data loss. The provider of nPro.energy is furthermore not liable for consequential damages such as lost profits, unrealized savings or third-party claims. The nPro software services are provided “as is”. The provider gives no further express or implied warranties and hereby disclaims all implied warranties, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.