Geothermal Heat Pump Engineering
GEO SUN NRG provides professional engineering services for the design of earth heat exchangers (well fields, ground loops, etc.) to both the dealer/installer and the design professional. Our design assist services provide our geoindustry clients the resources and expertises required to design and construct all aspects of the ground loop system.
What Information is Required?
Residential Design:
Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, email address, fax number, project location (if different than address provided).
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Is it a new project or retrofit?
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For Manual J calculations, we require house plans (any format works, hard copies, AutoCAD, PDF, scanned sketch, etc.).
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We need to know which side of the house faces north.
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We need to know window/door placement and sizing on the house.
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Ground connection method (closed loop: vertically bored, horizontally bored, or horizontally trenched. We don’t do pond loop design or DX system design).
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For horizontally trenched/bored: soil type/moisture content in the area.
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For vertically bored: provide a well log for hole drilled close to the job site.
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Site plan: We need to know how much room we’re working with and where utilities, outbuildings, landscaping to be avoided, etc., are located. Usually a good sketch-to-scale will do if you don’t have a professional drawing.
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Distribution system: forced air/hydronic (with or without in-floor radiant) or a combination of some sort. For retrofit systems, we need to know exactly what type of distribution system is already in place and if the homeowner is willing to completely replace it, if need be (this will be common in houses where fuel oil boiler systems are used for heat).
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Number of zones (typically one per piece of equipment with the exception of water-water or hydronic systems)/number of GSHP units to be used. If there are multiple zones, we need to know which rooms will be on which zones.
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Mechanical Ventilation. If fresh air is brought into the house, we need to know how much and if an energy recovery ventilator is used (and if so, we need to know the make and model).
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Preferred GSHP manufacturer. We need to know if the homeowner has a preference or is working with a contractor that deals a specific brand of GSHP units.
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For a building with a basement, is the basement conditioned?
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For a building with an unconditioned basement or crawlspace, what is the insulation value (if any) in the floor between the basement/crawl space and the main level?
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What are the insulation levels in the walls (below grade and above grade – R-11, R-19, etc.), floors and ceilings?
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Ductwork location. We need to know if it will be located in conditioned space, unconditioned attic space, unconditioned basement space, etc.
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Is the garage to be conditioned or unconditioned? If conditioned, what is the distribution system type?
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Window construction details are required — wood frame, vinyl frame, etc.
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Window glass construction details are required — standard double pane, low-e, etc. (if low-e, what’s the e-value?)
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Is hot water generation preferred? If so, will the generation method be supplemental (w/desuperheater) or dedicated (with a water-water heat pump or combo unit)? How many people will be living in the residence (needed to estimate annual hot water usage).
Commercial Design:
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Contact info
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Building type
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Project location
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Peak loads
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Energy analysis
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Design flow rate
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System COP @ EWTmin
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System EER @ EWTmax
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Formation Thermal Conductivity Test? If no, drill log?
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Preferred drilling depth
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S-R pipe size preference
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Accurate Engineering Site Plan showing space limitations for loopfield location as well as all existing and proposed underground utilities.
How much does Design Assist Cost?
GeoSun NRG design services are provided on a project-by-project basis. Most contracts are on a fixed-fee basis once a full scope of work has been established. Projects in a conceptual status or needing limited GeoSun NRG services will be billed on a T&M basis with a written budgetary estimate. No fees above the initial budget will be charged without written consent of the client.
Following is the GEOSUN NRG hourly fee schedule:
- Senior Professional Engineer: $175
- Project Engineer: $125
- Senior Designer: $110
- Designer: $90
- CAD Drafter: $70
- Technician: $50
How long does it take to get Engineering Design completed?
It depends. We realize project schedules are critically important and GEOSUN NRG will meet it commitment to having our plans completed by the established due date. The size and complexity of the project will dictate the length of time required. Some small design projects or design assist services can be completed in as little as five working days. Other projects could take several weeks. One very important factor is getting all of the requested information regarding a project to GEOSUN NRG in a timely fashion. Missing pieces of information prevents us from doing our job in a timely manner.
Commercial Building Design:
GEOSUN NRG’S engineering consultants are experienced in the design of loopfields for commercial buildings. We will work with your architect or mechanical engineer to properly size and detail the ground heat exchanger loop for virtually any size or type of commercial application. At this time, GEOSUN NRG does not provide design services for open loop or Pond/lake systems. We provide vertical and horizontal or slinky closed loop systems.
Architectural Design Considerations:
For architects considering geothermal designs in their projects we offer consulting services to aid in the selection of the proper system, as well as assisting in preliminary budgeting during the different design phases. GEOSUN NRG is pleased to support your mechanical engineer in addressing questions or design issues as they relate to the exterior earth heat exchanger.
Energy Modelling:
GEOSUN NRG is pleased to offer energy modelling comparisons between conventional HVAC systems and geothermal earth heat exchanger systems. Theses energy studies address initial construction costs as well as monthly/yearly operating costs, life cycle costing and return on investment.
Design Assist Services:
GEOSUN NRG offers a full range of consulting services. Whether it is to answer design questions you may have, provide certain aspects of design or a full set of construction documents, GEOSUN NRG’s engineering consultants are available to help you through the budgeting, design or construction process.
To contact our design team click here
