Sizing a Geothermal Heat Pump Is an Important Step

So you’ve made the decision to install the most energy efficient HVAC system available. Congrats! The next critical step in the process is sizing a geothermal heat pump. All HVAC equipment requires careful sizing to perform best and geothermal systems even more so since they depend on the transfer of heat from one place to another to cool and heat homes.

The two components of the geothermal heat pump include the underground loop field and the indoor heat pump. The loop field transfers the heat from your home in the summer and extracts it in the winter. The heat pump contains the evaporator coil and the fan that circulates the conditioned air throughout the ductwork.

Both the loop field and the indoor heat pump need to be the right size for the most energy efficient operation. The factors that affect the sizing of this system include:

• The overall energy efficiency of your home
• Its floorplan
• Your preferred indoor temperatures
• Amount of heat you generate year-round indoors
• The geology and hydrology of your lot

When HVAC contractors start sizing a geothermal heat pump, they input the data about your home’s energy efficiency into software called Manual J. It’s important to work with an HVAC contractor who has experience with geothermal heat pumps because the loop field also needs careful sizing to match the conditioning load of your home. The professionals will take into account factors like the type of soil and soil moisture to find how large and deep this field needs to be for adequate heat transfer.

Miscalculating the size of a geothermal heat pump results in a system that’s either too large or too small. When a system is too large, it will run in short cycles, leaving humidity behind, creating excess wear on the system and raising energy costs. One that’s too small may not keep up with the amount of conditioned air your home needs during weather extremes.

For experienced assistance with sizing a geothermal heat pump, contact Stack Heating & Cooling. We’ve proudly served greater Cleveland homeowners since 1976.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about geothermal heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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