Education for GCHP Industry: The design process for a GCHP system is different than that for a conventional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system...because you are designing and building the energy source. With a conventional system you are simply connecting to an energy source someone else is providing. The commercial design course offered by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) provides a starting point...what do you need to know when a potential client walks in the door with a set of plans and asks if you can design and/or install a GCHP system. Classes are offered in formal classroom settings, or through online webinars. We can also provide customized training sessions in your offices. Please contact us for details. Ed Lohrenz is an IGSHPA Certified Trainer for the Accredited Installer Course. He is the author of the IGSHPA Certified GeoExchange Designer (CGD) course and an accredited instructor.  

Feasibility Assessment: From a technical perspective, a GCHP system can be installed almost anywhere. GCHP systems are generally more expensive to install than a conventional heating and cooling system, however, and for most people, must demonstrate a reasonable return on their investment. Three things have an impact on the economic feasibility: geology and available land area for construction of the GHX, utility rates, and building heating and cooling requirements. A designer has no control over the geology, or the utility rates. He or she can, by working with the owner, architect and design team, have a significant impact on the amount of energy transferred to and from the ground. The design of the mechanical system has an equal influence on energy transfer to and from the GHX. This can have a large impact on the cost of installing a GCHP system as well as the system efficiency...and can greatly improve the return on the owner's investment. GEOptimize can add the most most value to a project when working in an integrated design process with the stakeholders of a project.

Forensic Investigation: Unfortunately, sometimes things don't work as expected, or they can fail catastrophically. Understanding what caused the failure and finding the most cost-effective way to make the system whole is important. The owner will be demanding answers. What went wrong? What can be done to correct the problem? Who caused the problem? Sometimes the answer isn't obvious, sometimes there are a series of events that caused the problem. With many contacts throughout the industry, GEOptimize can help find the problem and make recommendations for a cost-effective solution.

GHX & GCHP System Design: A ground heat exchanger is simply plastic pipe buried in the ground under or around your building or submerged in a nearby body of water. But how much pipe? How far apart should it be spaced? Will it fit on the site? Should it be inserted in deep boreholes or would it be more cost-effective to excavate a large pit? Who can drill the boreholes at a reasonable price? What kind of grout should be used? We can add the most value  when we can work with you and your design team early in the building design process. If we can work with you to select appropriate glazing and lighting, we have lower cooling loads to design for. If we can make recommendations about how to introduce fresh air to the building, lower heating and cooling loads reduce the size and cost of the GHX. There are many types of hybrid systems that can help make it much more cost-effective to install a GCHP system. GEOptimize will consider all the options if we can be involved early in the design of the project. 

Managing your GHX: When you have a building connected to an energy grid it is, for all intents and purposes, connected to an infinite energy resource. When your building is connected to a GHX, it's connected to a relatively finite mass of earth. When your building is connected to a finite resource, it must be managed differently...more like a rechargeable battery or a bank account. GEOptimize will work with you, as a building owner or operator, to help you manage the GCHP system you have invested in and to maximize the return on your investment.