Homeowner interest in geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) has surged in recent years due to increasing energy costs as well as generous tax credits offered by the federal government. This increased interest has prompted numerous HVAC contractors to start offering geothermal systems in an effort to help customers take advantage of the tax credits as well as provide them with an energy-efficient HVAC solution.
While many of these GHP systems have been designed and installed properly, there have been issues with others resulting in complaints of not enough heat in the winter and/or cooling in the summer. In most cases, the problems involve the loop field being designed or installed incorrectly or contractors using rule-of-thumb guidelines as opposed to actual calculations. Fortunately, more information is now available to help contractors avoid making costly mistakes when designing or installing GHP systems.