ᐅ Calculating heating demand to determine the size of the ground source heat pump

My general contractor can only provide a heating load calculation once the detailed construction plans are approved, the trade has been tendered to his 3-4 partner heating contractors, and they in turn have performed the calculation.

Is it possible to do this myself? Are there online calculators available for this? Can companies be hired to do this at reasonable prices?

I need the heating load calculation to determine the size (kW) of the geothermal heat pump and, of course, the required drilling.

Does anyone have advice?

I would definitely leave that to a professional. If the calculations are incorrect, you’ll deal with the consequences for the lifetime of your house. You might not be able to heat the place properly or end up paying a small fortune in heating costs.

Yes, you can do it yourself – but mistakes are easy to make.
Most general contractors usually install 15 cm (6 inches) everywhere, and 10 cm (4 inches) in the bathroom.
Heating systems are not calculated precisely by kW either.

In summary: yes, you can do it yourself, but why would you – that’s what you pay your general contractor for?
Tell your general contractor that you want shorter pipe spacing and that he shouldn’t cut corners on insulation – or ask him what insulation thicknesses he normally plans and share that here.

Generally, new buildings don’t require huge expenses for heating anymore.

Calculate the U-value if you have your energy-saving regulations (energy performance certificate). For drilling, check with your regional mining authority – because the ground’s extraction capacity also matters. Tell your drilling company to use a thermally conductive grout.

If the heating system is undersized, it definitely affects the costs. I’m thinking, for example, of the electric heating element in a geothermal/air-to-water heat pump.

I never said you should choose a heating system by lottery...

b54 schrieb:
If the heating system is undersized, it definitely impacts the costs. For example, I’m thinking of the electric heating element in a ground-source/air-to-water heat pump.

The same applies to the additional costs when the heating system is oversized. However, these units are usually available in increments of about 2 kW, so if you calculate with a 5% margin of error, the system generally still fits.
Otherwise, it’s mainly a matter of “time and patience.” If you have the house design and information about the insulation levels, you can usually manage it yourself quite well.