Fully online technical training designed around real industry demand, so you can specialize at your own pace.
11/07/2026
Start Date
6 months
Duration
750
Total Hours
8 Modules
Program
Duration
Total Hours
Program
Start Date
$3885
The Certificate in Ground-Source and Air-Source Heat Pumps from ICTESS is built to train specialists in harvesting thermal energy from the ground and outdoor air through high-efficiency heat pump systems. The program runs from ground loop design with vertical boreholes and earth tubes all the way to full integration with HVAC and domestic hot water systems.
You will learn the sizing calculations applied on real projects: ground loop field design, selection of water-to-water and brine-to-water heat pumps against thermal loads, heat exchanger sizing, hydronic circuit balancing, and control system configuration. The program includes a Capstone Project in which you apply everything you have learned to a residential or commercial installation case study.
The purpose of the program is to train professionals capable of assessing the viability of ground-source and air-source installations, sizing loop fields with boreholes or earth tubes, selecting heat pumps on technical and economic criteria, designing properly balanced hydronic circuits, and integrating these systems with existing or new-construction DHW and HVAC installations.
The training includes professional calculation methodologies for heat exchanger sizing and thermal load analysis, and closes with a Capstone Project in which you develop a complete ground-source or air-source installation project applying every competency built across the technical modules.
The Certificate in Ground-Source and Air-Source Heat Pumps qualifies you for specialized technical roles at HVAC contractors, building engineering firms, energy efficiency companies, and the technical departments of heat pump manufacturers. You can work as a geothermal project technician, efficient HVAC installation lead, renewable thermal energy consultant, or heat pump system maintenance technician.
The program prepares you to manage complete ground-source and air-source projects: running building thermal load studies, sizing loop fields against soil characteristics, preparing technical reports and installation drawings, supervising drilling and mechanical work, and optimizing performance through proper control system configuration.
You will also build the skills to take part in energy retrofit projects, audit existing HVAC installations, propose replacing boilers and furnaces with heat pump systems, and design hybrid solutions that combine ground-source or air-source technology with other renewable systems.
Access the program from anywhere with no commuting. Fit your technical specialization around your current professional activity.
Organize your study around your own availability. Move through the modules whenever it suits you best and reinforce whatever you need.
Learn the sizing techniques specialized engineering firms use on real ground-source heat pump projects.
Technical video lessons, updated downloadable materials, forums with specialized instructors, and practical exercises.
With ICTESS you get specialized technical training built around professional practice, designed so you master the competencies the efficient HVAC and renewable thermal sector is actually hiring for. Learn with an up-to-date methodology and real project case studies.
What you'll achieve
Evaluate the geothermal resource of a site through soil analysis and size ground loop systems using vertical boreholes, horizontal loops and earth tubes.
Select and size water-to-water and brine-to-water heat pumps against heating, cooling, and DHW loads, applying seasonal efficiency criteria (COP/EER and HSPF2/SEER2).
Design heat exchangers and hydronic circuits with flow rate calculations, pressure drop analysis, valve selection, and balancing techniques to guarantee optimal performance.
Integrate ground-source and air-source systems with DHW, radiant floor, fan coil, and ducted installations, configuring the appropriate control and reset strategies.
Apply the applicable codes and standards (IMC, IECC, ASHRAE, AHRI) to prepare permitting documentation and develop complete projects in residential and commercial settings.
The HVAC sector is going through a deep transformation driven by decarbonization policy. Cutting building emissions means electrifying thermal demand, which makes ground-source and air-source heat pumps key technologies for meeting federal, state, and local building performance standards. That scenario generates sustained demand for technicians specialized in these systems.
Shortage of qualified ground-source professionals: The labor market shows a significant gap in technicians able to size geothermal installations correctly. Many projects are poorly designed for lack of specific knowledge about ground loop sizing, producing inefficient or oversized systems that damage the technology’s reputation.
Rapid growth of the heat pump market: Heat pump sales keep climbing year after year, driven by incentives, electrification codes, and the rising cost of fossil fuels. Professionals who master the design and installation of these systems will see growing job opportunities over the coming decades.
A competitive edge over traditional contractors: Specializing in ground-source and air-source systems sets you clearly apart from conventional HVAC installers. Mastering the sizing calculations, the hydronics specific to these systems, and the applicable codes positions you as a go-to professional in a rapidly expanding market.
Completing the Certificate in Ground-Source and Air-Source Heat Pumps places you in a sector in full expansion, driven by the decarbonization of building HVAC. Building electrification policies in a growing number of states and cities, along with high-performance building requirements, are creating rising demand for ground-source and air-source heat pump specialists.
Access to a specialized technical niche: You can stand out in the job market as a specialist in efficient HVAC technologies that many traditional contractors still do not master. Ground-source and air-source systems require specific sizing, hydronic, and control knowledge that generalist HVAC training does not provide.
Command of high-efficiency systems: You will learn to design installations with seasonal performance above a COP of 4, meaning more than 4 kWh of heat delivered for every kWh of electricity consumed. That technical knowledge lets you offer solutions that sharply cut a building’s energy costs.
Capability for energy retrofit projects: You will develop the competencies to evaluate replacing conventional systems with heat pumps, taking part in the growing retrofit market for existing buildings driven by federal and state incentives and efficiency codes.
This certificate program is designed for professionals and technicians seeking to specialize in efficient HVAC systems based on ground-source and air-source heat pumps. Recommended profiles include:
Program details
The Capstone Project is the culminating stage of the program and represents the practical integration of every technical competency developed along the way. It consists of the complete development of a real ground-source or air-source installation project, from the thermal load analysis phase through the proposed commissioning and maintenance plan, applying the calculation methodologies and professional technical criteria used in the industry.
The project is built around a residential or commercial case study in which you will run the building’s thermal load study (heating, cooling, DHW), evaluate the ground loop options against the available site conditions, size the heat pump with a documented model selection based on seasonal efficiency criteria, design the hydronic circuit with flow rate, pressure drop, and balancing calculations, and specify the integration with existing or planned distribution systems.
The work also includes the design of the control and regulation system, the installation’s schematic diagram, the estimated equipment and installation budget, and the documentation required for permitting under the applicable mechanical and energy codes. The final report must be presented at the technical level and professional format expected of mechanical installation projects, demonstrating your ability to produce complete technical documentation suitable for the authority having jurisdiction or industry clients.
The Certificate in Ground-Source and Air-Source Heat Pumps from ICTESS includes hands-on training with the calculation methodologies professionals use in the field. You will learn to size ground loop fields using the soil thermal resistance method, calculate building thermal loads following recognized load calculation procedures, select heat pumps by applying seasonal efficiency criteria (COP/EER, HSPF2/SEER2), and design hydronic circuits with pressure drop calculations and balancing techniques. You will also work with manufacturer data tables for selecting heat exchangers, ground loop piping, and balancing valves. The approach is entirely practical: every module includes sizing exercises with real project data, so by the end you will command the calculation techniques you need to develop professional projects.
An engineering degree is not essential, though technical training in mechanical installations, HVAC, plumbing, or electrical work is recommended. The program is designed for HVAC and heating contractors, maintenance technicians at thermal installations, and plumbing professionals looking to specialize. It is also accessible to engineers and construction managers who want to go deeper into these technologies. Basic knowledge of hydronics, electricity, and thermodynamics is required to get full value from the content, since the program includes technical sizing calculations. If you have professional field experience in mechanical installations even without a degree, you will be able to follow the program without difficulty as long as you are comfortable with water circuits and HVAC systems.
The ICTESS Professional Certificate attests to your technical specialization in ground-source and air-source heat pumps and is recognized by companies in the sector as high-level professional development. While it is not an accredited academic degree and does not replace the mandatory credentials for installation work (a state HVAC contractor license and EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification), the certificate documents specific technical competencies that are in strong demand: geothermal installation sizing, hydronic design of heat pump systems, integration with HVAC installations, and knowledge of the applicable codes. HVAC contractors, building engineering firms, and heat pump manufacturers place particular value on this specialized training as a complement to the underlying professional credentials, since it demonstrates current knowledge of the high-efficiency technologies the market increasingly demands.
This Certificate in Ground-Source and Air-Source Heat Pumps stands apart for its whole-installation design approach, not just equipment knowledge. Where many courses focus on describing how heat pumps work or on basic installation tasks, this program covers the full technical process: ground thermal resource assessment, loop field sizing with boreholes and earth tubes, heat exchanger calculations, hydronic design with circuit balancing, integration with different distribution systems (radiant floor, fan coils, DHW), and control system configuration. The content includes real sizing calculations rather than theory alone, which lets you develop complete projects independently. It also addresses permitting under the applicable mechanical and energy codes, an area most generalist courses do not cover in depth.
