President Joe Biden’s administration put forth an unprecedented and uncompromising initiative to achieve a 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. It’s an ambitious but much-needed plan to combat climate change realities that increasingly impact people’s lives across the country and around the world. When coupled with strategies to eliminate fossil fuels as a source of energy generation by 2035, it’s clear that we still have a lot of work to do – and fast.

To move quickly with impact and precision, we should look to the built environment to make substantial changes to our carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Specifically, geothermal heat pumps need to become standard installations, replacing traditional, fossil-fuel-burning furnaces and becoming the appliance of choice in new construction to maximize efficiency and scalability.

Advancing the built environment with geothermal heat pumps

The built environment, including residential homes, multi-family dwellings and commercial buildings, is an enormous energy consumer, accounting for 37% of total emissions. It’s a pivotal place for improving climate outcomes, providing many opportunities for forward-thinking policymakers, developers and consumers to meaningfully improve their carbon footprints related to the built environment.

One McKinsey & Company analysis found that 22 “levers” or built environment components have “particularly strong potential due to their high abatement potential, cost-effectiveness and applicability across archetypes and regions.”

Space conditioning tops the list, doubling the next most influential lever we can use to reduce home energy consumption and reach ambitious energy goals critical to achieving energy independence and climate outcomes. In addition to space heating, finding new renewable energy sources for air conditioning is essential as well.

Geothermal heat pumps address both challenges, providing an efficient and effective way for builders, buyers and policymakers to address climate change.

Geothermal heating and cooling rely on the steady below-ground temperature to provide consistent heating energy in the winter and cooling capacity in the summer. These systems use an electric-powered heat pump to take advantage of this naturally occurring constant, harnessing the steady temperature surrounding any home to heat or cool it as needed.

The ground source heat pump inside the home transfers warm air to the home in the winter and into the ground in the summer, replacing gas-powered furnaces and conventional air conditioning equipment with quiet, efficient, electric-powered heat pumps.

Why choose geothermal heat pumps

Geothermal heat pumps can be deployed in any climate and environment and work effectively everywhere, from small starter homes to large structures like schools, apartment complexes and office buildings.

Four differentiating factors separate geothermal heat pumps from other heating and cooling solutions.

1. Performance

Geothermal heating and cooling is the least energy-intensive solution humanity has developed to date. It’s a win-win-win for owners, policymakers and the environment. It’s the best way to future-proof buildings, providing the electric heating and cooling solution the built environment demands.

The EPA explains, “Geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective systems for heating and cooling buildings.”

With regulatory and utility support making it accessible to more people and the Inflation Reduction Act adding significant financial incentives for installing geothermal heating and cooling solutions, this technology is now more affordable and accessible at every stage of the building process.

2. Durability

Geothermal heat pumps are built to last and the ground loops that enable the seamless transfer of warm and cool air will last a building's lifetime, future-proofing it for the long term rather than just addressing an immediate need.

These heat pumps outperform traditional and innovative heating and cooling technologies, making the products themselves and their functions more sustainable. For instance, as The Department of Energy (DOE) succinctly explains, “Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.”

3. Efficacy

Geothermal heat pump adopters will not experience a compromise in performance or comfort compared to their fossil fuel counterparts. Instead, homeowners can expect energy savings, enhanced comfort and increased property value.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated the Energy Star New Homes program. People building or buying a new home can receive an EnergyStar label for the entire home, not just its appliances. At the same time, businesses experience operational efficiency, cost savings and regulatory compliance. Similarly, government entities can expect reduced environmental impact, alignment with climate goals and sustainable urban development when they adopt geothermal heat pumps in new construction.

With the DOE recently releasing guidance that newly constructed federal government buildings be fossil fuel-free, there are tremendous opportunities for geothermal heating and cooling in federal buildings, ranging from housing on military bases to office buildings and national park visitor centers.

4. Compatibility

Meeting our climate goals means we must electrify everything. We need a more capable (and more expensive) energy grid to do that. However, we can’t wait for this infrastructure to arrive before we start changing our carbon footprint. Geothermal is the only electrified solution that doesn’t create peak energy-load spikes like in the way that air source heat pumps and other electric heating and cooling systems do.

Leveraging geothermal to make this electrified transition for space heating and cooling buys the U.S. utilities and the national grid infrastructure much-needed time to upgrade and transition to support our fully electrified future.

A solution for today to impact energy for tomorrow

Geothermal heating and cooling isn’t a gimmick or new technology being sold to alarmed people fearful of the repercussions of climate change. It’s a tried-and-true solution that’s ready to go right now.

We know we must stop using fossil fuels as soon as possible. Many people may not want to sacrifice comfort, experience, or cost to fight climate change alone, but geothermal heat pumps allow us to do so without compromise. It’s a save-the-planet-ready solution that every new construction project should consider making geothermal heat pumps a part of the built environment moving forward.