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Geo design isn’t just a term used to describe spatial challenges in building and natural environments. It’s also what we use to describe the genius that’s gone into ClimateMaster’s GeoDesigner software. By thoroughly assessing environmental factors, their one-of-a-kind software makes this geothermal heating and cooling estimate the best on the market for your system savings accuracy. Other companies often don’t put in due diligence to offer an exhaustive estimation, while ClimateMaster can give customers the highest available accuracy rate.

The GeoDesigner 4 software considers things that affect homeowners’ inside temperatures like solar gains from large windows and skylights, occupancy level per square foot, and construction quality. Using this data, the GeoDesigner 4 software provides an accurate estimate of what you are spending on your current HVAC system and tells you which geothermal model may be the right choice.

This list of benefits and features walks you through the impressive performance quality of this software

Benefits of GeoDesigner 4

A comprehensive design tool for sizing residential geothermal heat pumps and ground heat exchangers. This information alone can save installers time, money, and decreases the likelihood of installation error.

Provides actual energy consumption and operating cost estimates for all types of heating, cooling, and water heating systems. When making a budget for yearly expenses, this estimate ensures you are within your spending limit every year based on multiple data points.

Pre-configured libraries eliminate guesstimates and “plug” numbers. This allows the expert you consult with to provide you with fair and accurate comparisons of HVAC system options.

Calculations are based on industry-accepted methods and best practices. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is an American professional association seeking to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems design and construction. GeoDesigner 4 follows these highest standards.

Fast and easy to use. A typical project can be entered and completed in just five to ten minutes and proven in over 25 years of continual use and refinement. ClimateMaster is always improving this product based on industry advances to give customers the most accurate and up-to-date technology possible.

A list of features may be something that a hardcore HVAC guy might geek out on, but it’s good to know what makes the GeoDesigner 4 the most accurate tool for a homeowner to rely on.

Features of GeoDesigner 4

The GeoDesigner 4 software contains a full database for long-term average weather in temperature bin format for over two hundred and fifty locations across North America. This database also includes the associated earth temperature design parameters. Our seasonal utility rate and fuel cost library is based on the 2021 U.S. EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook.

• Users can also create and save an unlimited number of custom rate files.

The latest update has an extensive library of current and legacy HVAC equipment with detailed performance maps. We get this information through manufacturers’ product data, water-to-air, and water-to-water geothermal heat pumps. Not only that, we have optional data for hot water generators and full year-round hot water models.

• Includes Fossil fuel furnaces/boilers/water heaters, electric heaters/furnaces/water heaters, air conditioners, air-source heat pumps.
• A Wide range of indoor coil combinations and outdoor coil condition ratings for air conditioners and air-source heat pumps.
• Single-stage, two-stage, and modulating/variable-capacity models with option for ECM blower motors.
• Uses the ASHRAE modified bin method and an integrated solar/internal gains calculator to determine building loads for each outdoor temperature bin.

GeoDesigner 4 considers the input of design peak loads from separate ACCA Manual J or ASHRAE calculations and incorporates user-selected thermostat settings. Using IGSHPA ground heat exchanger design methods, it measures the effects of system cycling, air-source heat pump defrost, and auxiliary heat. This includes the power consumption of ancillary igniters, inducer fans, blower motors and pumps – all under realistic operating conditions.

• Includes a library of pre-configured vertical, horizontal and pond heat exchangers along with an option for direct ground water use.
• Includes a library of typical soil and rock types.
• Auto-sizing based on allowable operating temperature range or fixed length input.
  

The Software is Including a Detailed Calculation Method for Geothermal Hot Water Contribution

• Incorporates occupancy-based daily use and user selected hot water delivery temperature.
• Uses bin-level equipment run time and hot water capacity based on equipment performance maps.
• Includes impact on equipment heating capacity and power input for hot water pump.

It's Private and Secure

• All project data remains local.
• No activity tracking or sharing of project specifics as with “free” cloud-based software.

By consulting with ClimateMaster’s professionals using this comprehensive software, helpful information, including measurements of the proper ground loop for your location and appropriate thickness of the pipe can be calculated. This is crucial knowledge for installers to begin a project with, given that most testimonials from an unsatisfied customer who has switched to geothermal can be tracked to poor installation methods. It’s not just the benefits and features that set ClimateMaster’s GeoDesigner software apart, it’s that, compared to other systems, theirs can’t be beat.

GeoDesigner 4 Competition Comparison:

It’s the only software to include detailed equipment performance map libraries for all types of HVAC equipment, both geothermal and conventional:

• Some software relies on AHRI ratings alone, which do not provide nearly enough of the data needed for accurate bin or hourly analysis.
• Other software simply uses “plugged” values for seasonal efficiency of conventional HVAC equipment.
• No other software includes the ancillary electric power consumption within fossil fuel furnaces.
• No other software includes the effects of indoor coil combinations and outdoor coil condition for air conditioners and heat pumps.
  

GeoDesigner 4 is the only software to correctly model variable-speed geothermal heat pumps across their entire capacity range and operating envelope:

• Goes beyond the standard model variable-speed units as a simple two-stage model.
• Other software completely ignores variable-speed models and runs them as if on maximum speed only at all times.

The only software to correctly model geothermal pumping, and at real flow rates.

• Some software applies AHRI rating defaults for pumping energy, which is not representative of real ground heat exchanger pressure drops.
• Other software varies the pumping speed on two-stage models when, in fact, only constant speed pumps are being used in practice.
• Most software uses internal plugged efficiency levels for pumps which are not accurate for the pumps being used.
  

GeoDesigner 4 is the original software to incorporate accurate ASHRAE modified bin method with a simple internal gains calculator enabling it to accurately model the contribution of geothermal hot water generators (desuperheaters) and multi-function demand water heating models.

The original software to incorporate accurate ASHRAE modified bin method and with a simple internal gains calculator.

If you’re looking to install geothermal heating and cooling in your home for the most accurate estimate of savings compared to what you’re spending right now (yes, they’ll tell you that too!), do yourself a favor and consult with a ClimateMaster expert now.