As governments, developers, businesses, universities and others work towards meeting climate goals and regulations, one of the most transformative solutions is unfolding quietly—right beneath our feet. Geo-exchange networks, a form of ground-source geothermal energy for heating and cooling multiple buildings, offer a compelling path toward creating low-carbon, resilient, and efficient communities by turning the ground into shared geothermal infrastructure.
Rethinking Heating and Cooling
Heating and cooling systems are responsible for nearly 40% of building energy use, and buildings themselves contribute nearly 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions. Electrifying these systems is essential—but swapping out gas boilers for electric heat pumps on a building-by-building basis is just the beginning of addressing this key driver of climate change. Without greater coordination, we still risk increased grid strain and missed efficiency opportunities.
Enter geo-exchange networks: integrated geothermal energy systems that use heat pump systems to move heat between buildings and the earth. These systems distribute heating and cooling efficiently across a portfolio of buildings and can even function like a battery charged by the Earth itself, balancing thermal demand over time—day to night, summer to winter.
The Benefits of Geo-Exchange
Unlike air-source heat pump systems, geo-exchange networks leverage the stable temperature of the Earth, which remains relatively constant year-round. This allows for higher efficiencies, with geothermal heat pumps achieving twice the energy savings as air-source systems. This highlights that geothermal heating and cooling is not just better for the climate and for meeting decarbonization goals, but financially smart for utilities, building owners and operators, and policymakers looking to keep energy costs low. But linking multiple buildings to one geo-exchange network provides even greater benefits.
When buildings are linked through shared underground geo-exchange loops, their heating and cooling needs can complement one another. Geo-exchange systems differ from conventional HVAC by shifting and storing energy, enhancing efficiency by allowing residential buildings to share excess heat or cold during the day with commercial facilities, and vice versa at night. When combined with smart controls, these systems can adjust energy use in real time, respond to grid demands, and optimize for both occupant comfort and carbon reduction. The results are lower costs driven by reduced overall energy consumption and minimized usage during peak pricing periods. This internal balancing reduces reliance on the grid, eases peak loads, and drives energy savings beyond what standalone systems can achieve.
University Campuses as Proving Grounds
Some of the most promising work in geo-exchange today is happening on university campuses. These environments act like miniature cities: they have diverse building types, variable occupancy patterns, and enough scale to justify shared infrastructure.
In one such project led by my firm, a forward-looking university seeking to eliminate gas dependency partnered with us to deploy a bespoke geo-exchange network. Different types of buildings were connected through a centralized heat pump loop. Despite differences in age and architecture, even older facilities were retrofitted successfully. The system was paired with smart monitoring to track efficiency in real time and optimize performance. This combination of physical infrastructure and digital insight helped the university identify new savings opportunities through control changes and energy flow adjustments.
The result? A major improvement from previous years, achieving an approximately 25% reduction in historical gas consumption through the use of the new system and technology. The campus now serves as a model for how geo-exchange networks can support climate goals, operational resilience, and smart building integration.
Scaling the Model to Communities
While campuses are ideal proving grounds, the same model can be applied in urban districts, public housing, and mixed-use neighborhoods. To accelerate adoption among policymakers, developers and facility owners/operators, a few enablers are essential:
Early-stage planning: Geo-exchange loops should be designed into master plans or incorporated during major retrofits.
Utility engagement: Geo-exchange networks can replace aging gas systems and become core to district-scale decarbonization strategies. Utilities can therefore play a key role in scaling geo-exchange, by partnering with geothermal heating and cooling firms and developers to provide the electricity to networks or co-investing in projects that drive down the long-term cost for customers.
Project finance design: While public funding and policy incentives vary by state, a growing number of jurisdictions offer tools to support the transition to geothermal heating and cooling systems. In addition, geothermal energy providers can often work with customers to structure flexible, innovative financing options—from long-term service agreements to performance-based models—that reduce upfront capital costs and align with project budgets.
Developers and portfolio managers can also benefit from smart monitoring platforms, which enable real-time performance tracking, emissions reporting, predictive maintenance, and continuous optimization—delivering both operational insight and sustainability value.
Leveraging the Earth’s Power to Help Save It
We’re at an inflection point. Electrification alone won’t get us to community decarbonization unless we rethink the efficiency of buildings altogether. Geo-exchange networks offer an elegant, scalable answer—one that leverages what’s already beneath us to power a cleaner, more resilient future.
They’re quiet, invisible, and long-lived. And they make our communities smarter—not just more sustainable. If we’re serious about decarbonizing heating and cooling at scale, it’s time to think below the surface. The greatest battery we could possibly imagine – the Earth itself – is ready. Let’s use it.
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