New Canadian Standards for Design of Earth Energy Systems published

In a new industry, standards that lay out minimum requirements for the design and installation of earth energy systems are important. This is especially true of an industry that is, or is perceived to be, more expensive to install than comparable conventional systems. Standards are there to ensure minimum standards are met, and to provide confidence for the purchaser that the system will work. They lend credibility to the technology. 

CSA C448 Series-13 "Design and installation of earth energy systems" has just been released. It's the product of about 2 and a half years of committee and sub-committee meetings with people from all parts of the GCHP industry, including equipment and pipe manufacturers, design and engineering consultants, mechanical contractors, excavation and drilling contractors, utilities, government agencies, and building inspectors. 

Some significant changes were made to the Standard:

• The minimum capacity of a residential heat pump was changed from 70% of the peak heat loss to either 65% of the peak heat loss or 95% of the building's annual energy requirement.
• A partial load, single family residential system option was added. The system must provide a minimum of 70% to 95% of the building's annual energy requirement to meet the partial load requirement. This is to allow for installing a GCHP system in an addition for a home or for homes in urban environments that has limited space for the installation of a GHX. 
• The use of PEX-A pipe is included in the new Standard

You can purchase the new Standard C448 on the CSA website.

The CSA Group has submitted an application to ANSI to develop a Bi-national Standard for the Design and Installation of Earth Energy Systems, and has asked several organizations, including International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA), the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) and the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) to work together to create this Standard.