Unlocking Residential Geothermal: How Builders are Overcoming Cost and Complexity Barriers

Residential geothermal heat pumps are widely recognized for their efficiency and performance, yet adoption in housing has lagged due to perceived cost, complexity, and execution risk. Recent developments in policy, utility participation, and financing have begun to change what is feasible for residential projects. This session examines how those enabling frameworks translate into real-world implementation, with a focus on single-family homes and small multifamily buildings. Using current project examples, we will address ground loop installation, HVAC system integration, procurement, pricing certainty, and coordination with builders and utilities. We will reframe residential geothermal not as a niche or future solution, but as a deployable HVAC option when cost and complexity barriers are addressed intentionally.