Community Clean Heat Infrastructure

Electricity isn’t the only way to deliver clean, decarbonized energy to Midwest Buildings.

A Thermal Energy Network (TEN) provides heating and cooling to multiple buildings using buried loops of ambient temperature pipes to transfer heat to/from geothermal pumps. waste water, and other sources of heat.

Illustration showing underground carbon capture and storage infrastructure beneath an urban cityscape with government building, high-rise, residential houses, and a factory emitting smoke, with the logo of Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition.

Key benefits of TENs include:

  • Significant Energy Savings: TENs are the highest efficiency heating and cooling system, leading to low operating costs and utility bill savings for families.


  • Clean Energy:     TENs produce no on-site emissions, resulting in improved air quality and reductions in greenhouse gas and other pollutants.

  • Utilize Waste Heat: TENs capitalize on diverse system loads, incorporating multiple thermal energy sources/sinks to increase overall system efficiency further and capture heat that would otherwise be lost or wasted.

  • Equitable Decarbonization: TENs provide a pathway to transition gas utilities to clean energy, providing opportunities for workers and lowering energy costs for communities.

How Do We Bring Clean Heat Systems to the Community?

Text overlay with steps for engaging with thermal energy networks on a snowy street background, with a green knitted glove holding a small house model.

In collaboration with AnnDyl Policy Group and Slipstream,
we’re excited to debut Policy Barrier and Opportunity reports for Thermal Energy Networks in all of our states, dive in to the reports below:

Map of the Midwest with states highlighted in orange, promoting accelerating thermal energy networks in the Midwest, with an overlay of policy resources and a logo for the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition and AnnDyl Policy Group.

Midwest TEN News & Case Studies

  • Illustration of a city skyline with colorful, stylized buildings and the text 'GAS to GEOF' blended into the scene.

    HEET Gas-to-Geo Resource Hub

    HEET’s mission is to drive systemic change through an accessible and efficient thermal energy transition. HEET catalyzes human-centered transition of gas utilities into thermal utilities, at breakneck speed and scale. We believe in an equitable energy transition that meets the needs of all, from low-income communities to gas utility workers to future generations. We also believe in careful data collection and rigorous science to drive rational design and policy. Harnessing our proven expertise in navigating both the social and technical elements of systems change, we will continue to build collaborative networks based on trust, bring uncommon partners together, and iterate to find and share just solutions supported by data.

    View Resource HUb
  • Cover page of a legislative guidebook titled "Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) Legislative Guidebook" on a yellow background.

    Building Decarbonization Coalition’s State TEN Legislation Guidebook

    This is a step-by-step guide to help state lawmakers and advocates craft equitable, affordable thermal energy network (TEN) legislation for their communities.

    The Building Decarbonization Coalition partnered with the Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment to create this resource.

    VIEW GUIDEBOOK
  • A graphic image with the outline map of New York State and the text 'NEW YORK STATE' next to it, separated by a vertical line from the word 'NYSERDA'.

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has partnered with ASHRAE to develop the following series of 17 FREE webinars

    Where applicable, a community-style thermal strategy can accelerate decarbonization of the building stock, moving from a building-by-building approach to a block-by-block and community-by-community model.

    To support this effort, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has partnered with ASHRAE to develop the following series of 17 FREE webinars designed to engage and educate all stakeholders involved in community heat pump system design and implementation. Each free webinar offers 1.5 continuing education credits.

    VIEW WEBINARS
  • A digital map interface showing the area around Albany, New York, with labels for Saratoga Springs and Pittsfield. The screen includes a menu on the left listing population data categories such as American Indian & Native American, Asian, Black & African-American, White, and Native Hawaiian & Pacific-Islander. The title of the page is 'Learning From the Ground Up (LeGUp)'.

    LeGUp publications & dashboards

    HEET formed the Learning from the Ground Up (LeGUp) research team to learn as much as we can from the first utility geothermal networks in the country. The LeGUp research supplements the utilities’ own project measurements and verifications, providing additional data, research, and science beyond what is covered by standard utility and regulatory procedure.

    The project is funded by a $5 million grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, thanks to a generous allocation for this purpose by the Massachusetts Legislature.

    View Dashboard
  • Homepage of the Illinois Geothermal Coalition website featuring the title and a background image of geothermal gauges.

    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    The Illinois Geothermal Coalition (IGC) is a growing collection of individuals from corporate, non-profit, and research spheres dedicated to establishing Illinois as a leader in geothermal energy.

    The IGC works to strengthen and advance implementation and design of geothermal energy systems in the Midwest.

    Learn More

Video Resources

What Is Gas to Geo?

Clean Heat Infrastructure Introduction