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.
Session Chairs
Session Speakers
Define the primary barriers that have historically limited residential geothermal adoption.
Examine how policy, utility participation, and financing mechanisms enable residential geothermal projects.
Describe how builders are implementing geothermal in practice, including ground loop installation and HVAC integration.
Evaluate how real-world pricing and procurement approaches reduce uncertainty.
This session is pre-approved for 1 credit hour toward AIA (LU|HSW), LEED (BD+C), MA CSL, and NARI certification. Those who attend a full day of the conference are additionally eligible for credit toward Phius and RESNET certification.