We were very lucky to have a knowledgeable installer who was also very patient with all of our questions. Joe started collecting data on our home and taking measurements during our first meeting. He came back to finish this so that he could perform a Manual J calculation. From what I understand, not all HVAC installers do this.
Prior to installation, our installer (Joe) also provided us with some paperwork to let us know what to expect from our system. This report is a canned report from WaterFurnace, but it is also very informative if the correct data in used. As you may see in this report, the GeoThermal system is undersized for our heating needs and we will be using heat strips to make up for the deficiency. It was our installers professional opinion that the extra cost for a larger unit and more drilled well did not justify itself and that we would not see the payback with a system like that. So, we will be using electric heat backup. In addition, we informed him that we had some projects in the works which would make our home better insulated which, in turn would reduce our heating demand.
Pre-Installation Report (pdf) - this may take a minute