Tag: Geothermal Heat Pump

States & Provinces Are Adopting IGSHPA Training!

IGSHPA continues to work with U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and federal governments to ensure that GSHPs are being designed and installed for long-term success.

As the Ground Source (Geothermal) Heat Pump industry is on a path to unprecedented growth, it is important that governments and utilities (especially those that are providing incentives) have a benchmark for success. How can they protect their investments and reputation, while encouraging adoption of the technology, which provides so many benefits to consumers, developers, the electric grid, and society as a whole? IGSHPA’s partnership with CSA Group for accredited training and certification programs and additional courses that create “building blocks” for success, provide solutions!

IGSHPA has 23 courses available in online, self-paced formats and through instructor-led (in-person or virtual) instruction. States and provinces, and even federal governments are including IGSHPA courses as part of their programs. This blog will highlight the most recent implementations and will be updated as new programs develop.

Colorado

The state of Colorado’s CEO (Colorado Energy Office) program for heat pump training has a new training toolkit that recognizes IGSHPA training for design and installation of GSHPs and recommends that training should be aligned with the most recent edition of the CSA/ANSI/IGSHPA C448:25 Design and Installation Standard.

New Jersey

The state of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program provides a Workforce Development Reimbursement of up to $2,000 per person per course, up to $4,000. The following IGSHPA courses and certifications are eligible for reimbursement:

  • IGSHPA Residential Self-Paced Online Training (up to) 7 Core Modules
  • IGSHPA Residential System Design Workshop
  • IGSHPA Residential Self-Paced Online Training (up to) 2 Further Learning Modules
  • IGSHPA Commercial Self-Paced Online Training (up to) 7 Core Modules
  • IGSHPA Commercial Systems Design Workshop
  • IGSHPA Commercial Self-Paced Online Training (up to) 3 Further Learning Modules

New Mexico

The state of New Mexico’s Geothermal Ground Coupled Heat Pump Tax Credit program of up to 30% of the installation costs (up to $9,000) through 2034 requires IGSHPA certification for installers of the systems. See the following links for details of the program:

New York

The state of New York’s Clean Heat program offers significant incentives based upon each utility’s program. For example, National Grid offers up to $20,000 for single family GSHP retrofit installations and up to $14,000 for new construction (even more for disadvantaged communities). Other New York utilities have similar incentives. The program requires IGSHPA certification and is designed up be updated for the new IGSHPA curriculum (footnote on page 28 states, “56If IGSHPA adjusts its installer certifications, the NYS Clean Heat Program will adjust appropriately”).

Ontario

The province of Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings program provides up to $12,000 for GSHPs. Participating HVAC contractors must be IGSHPA certified.

U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.)

IGSHPA’s GRIT (GSHP Residential Installation Technician), GRST (GSHP Residential Service Technician), and Geo 101 courses have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as important new content and best practices in the Energy Skilled™ HVAC Program. Energy Skilled™ is a workforce development program that recognizes certification, licensure, training, and degree programs that teach the skills needed to succeed in today’s building sector jobs. The Department of Energy recognition shines a light on training programs, certifications, and other credentials that are helping to prepare a competitive American workforce and reduce energy costs to consumers.

For more information on IGSHPA’s training programs, check out the training and certification page or contact us.

2026 Research Conference Proceedings

The proceedings from the 2026 Research conference are now online!

The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association’s 5th IGSHPA Research Conference was held as a track at the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference, May 26-29, 2026, in Vienna, Austria. There were 27 papers presented during the conference with research topics from all over the world covering GHX optimization to thermal energy storage to experimental R744 (CO2) systems. View the proceedings here.

New Technical Specification for GSHPs in U.S. Government Buildings

NREL (National Renewable Energy Labs) has just released a technical specifications document for the U.S. Depart of Energy that is a customizable template.

The new customizable template for U.S. federal government agencies seeking to procure GSHP systems may be downloaded at https://www.energy.gov/femp/articles/geothermal-heat-pump-system-technical-specifications. Agencies are encouraged to add, remove, edit, and/or change any of the template language to fit the needs and requirements of the agency.

IGSHPA members who are working on U.S. government projects should download the template to assist with project specifications and design guidance. Note that the specification references IGSHPA training and the CSA/ANSI/IGSHPA C448 Design and Installation Standard. IGSHPA members can purchase the standard at a discount at https://igshpa.org/standards/; IGSHPA training/certification programs are at https://igshpa.org/training-certification/.

IGSHPA Announces New Training

Over 20 new courses, along with a new certification program are rolling out over the Summer & Fall

If you missed the July 9 IGSHPA Town Hall webinar, you will want to view the recording to learn about the exciting new offering. IGSHPA has partnered with CSA Group on new accredited training and certification programs. The two organizations have long worked together to support the GSHP industry. CSA and IGSHPA developed courses comprise over 20 choices to empower professionals to become experts in the technology!

Just this morning, the IGSHPA website has been updated to reflect the new training courses. For more information, go to igshpa.org and check out the training menu. You will see all of the new courses listed. Over the next 6 months, IGSHPA curriculum and certificate/certification programs will be completely updated, making them more accessible and easier to navigate, while including the most up-to-date information and best practices. The 10 self-paced courses are available now!

When you’re on the training pages, notice that the new courses have substantial discounts for members. One more reason to become a member!

2026 Annual Conference

Sponsorship, Exhibitor, and Speaking Opportunities Now Available!

Join us in St. Charles, Missouri April 13-15, 2026 for our Annual Conference! Registration and hotel reservations are open as well! As an industry leader, you play a key role in shaping the future of geothermal heating and cooling. Together, we can champion the benefits this technology offers, particularly in supporting grid stability. Connect with hundreds of professionals from a range of sectors to spark innovative projects, gather valuable insights from experts, build meaningful relationships, generate leads, and raise awareness about the power and potential of ground source heatpumps! You can go here to see the sponsorships & exhibit spaces available.  

If you are planning on  submitting an abstract please wait to register at special presenter discount until after December 31, 2025 when abstract submissions will be finalized. 

To claim your sponsorship or booth please email .

 Go here for all things conference

We can’t wait to meet you near St. Louis!

GeoExchange Update on U.S. Budget Reconciliation Bill, July 3, 2025

From Ryan Dougherty, Executive Director of GeoExchange:

This afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives passed the final version of President Trump’s ambitious and wide-ranging domestic policy package, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill. The President will sign the legislation into law tomorrow at the White House. While the bill represents a significant setback for the geothermal industry in some ways, there are other provisions that create new opportunities.

 First, the bad news. The Sec. 25D Residential Clean Energy Credit expires at the end of this year. GeoExchange fought for months to defend against this outcome, but it was an uphill battle from the start. This congressional majority simply does not like consumer tax credits and their insistence on repealing 25D for solar meant that we were collateral damage. There may be opportunities to restore some sort of consumer-facing tax credit in the future, but for now, it is important to communicate the short window of opportunity to residential channel partners and customers. State and utility incentives may be able to defray the adverse impacts of the loss of 25D, and we will ramp up our efforts to gain and advance existing support in these arenas.

 On the commercial side, the Sec. 48 Investment Tax Credit was untouched. There is a 30% credit for commercial projects until 2033 when the credit drops to 26%. It is 22% in 2034 and zeroes out in 2035. The domestic content and energy communities bonus credits are still available as is direct pay and transferability.

 Additionally, the law creates an exemption from longstanding IRS policy known as limited-use property doctrine and allows commercial geo systems to now be leased by third parties, including leases to homeowners. More work needs to be done to flesh out the particulars of geothermal leasing, but our hope is that these business models will ramp up quickly and help offset the loss of 25D.

 GeoExchange will continue its work in Washington on the back end of this bill as the focus moves to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and their task of implementing the law. The geothermal industry is resilient, and this legislation represents the start of a new chapter for us. Geo technology lowers energy costs, drives economic growth, and strengthens the electric grid. GeoExchange and our partners at IGSHPA will continue to serve this industry and help its professionals deliver those benefits.

 Stay tuned for more updates from D.C. and if you have questions about the bill, please don’t hesitate to send them to .  

2026 Research Conference Announced!

IGSHPA’s 2026 Research Conference will be in cooperation with IEA and AIT in Vienna, Austria, May 26-29, 2026.

****Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to June 2, 2025****

The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is pleased to announce that the next IGSHPA Research Track will be held at the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference, May 26-29, 2026, in Vienna, Austria.  This is the fifth in a series of research conferences and tracks held in Denver (2017), Stockholm (2018), Las Vegas (2022) and Montréal (2024).  Like the previous four conferences, scientific papers will undergo peer-review to ensure quality. Papers in the conference proceedings will be freely available with DOI numbers at the IGSHPA website and a permanent archive at the IEA Heat Pump Center.  Selected scientific papers will be invited to submit expanded versions for a special issue of the journal Science and Technology for the Built Environment (link takes you to TandFOnline.com). This will be a great opportunity to exchange the latest research ideas and results with leading researchers.

In addition to scientific papers, it will be possible for authors to submit shorter applied research paper which are aimed at reporting the latest developments in applications and practice. This is a great opportunity for practitioners to present more applied work.

Go to Research Conference Page

The Latest on the C448 Standard!

IGSHPA is taking pre-orders for the 2025 edition of the CSA/ANSI/IGSHPA C448 Design and Installation Standard for GSHPs

The 2025 edition of the C448 standard will be available the beginning of June! The new edition has many new updates and is the basis for all new IGSHPA training. Following are some of the updates to the nearly 250 page standard:

  • New section on District Energy Systems
  • New section on Energy Foundations / Energy Piles
  • New annex on Waste Water Energy Transfer Systems
  • New PE-RT piping material added
  • New glycerin-based antifreeze and detoxified ethylene glycol added as acceptable heat transfer fluids
  • Consolidation of clauses that appear in more than one section (moved to the General section) for ease of use and clarity
  • Removal of PVC as an acceptable piping material for inside piping
  • Validation of references used in clauses throughout the standard
  • Review of IGSHPA Standards Committee recommendations for changes to the standard that will allow the 2017 IGSHPA standard to be sunset when 2025 C448 is published

The new standard will be available to current IGSHPA members at a discounted price of $175 for the licensed PDF version of the standard. Non-member pricing for licensed PDF or for the paper copy is $250, another benefit of being an IGSHPA member!

Pre-Order the Licensed PDF Here (June delivery)

2025 Conference Wrap Up!

The 2025 Annual IGSHPA/GAOI Conference was one of the best conferences ever, according to surveys and conversations!

The annual conference, held March 11 to 13, 2025 at the I-Hotel in Champaign, Illinois, received rave reviews. One industry veteran said that it was the best GSHP industry conference in his 40 years in the business; another said that he couldn’t remember an IGSHPA conference as exciting as this one; others mentioned that there was a certain “vibe” of excitement.

This was the first annual conference for IGSHPA as an independent non-profit that was not part of a much larger conference. This was also the first conference in partnership with a state association, GAOI (Geothermal Alliance of Illinois). Both GAOI and IGSHPA staff and board members were heavily involved, which helped set a “new bar” for industry conferences.

Many of the attendees commented that 4 parallel workshop tracks made it difficult to decide which workshops to attend. Although not the same as attending, most of the speakers uploaded their presentations for review later on. The 2025 conference proceedings are now online.

At the awards dinner on Tuesday evening, the next IGSHPA annual conference was announced, which will be near St. Louis (St. Charles, Missouri) at the Ameristar Casino, April 14 to 16, 2026. More info. will be available as details are finalized at https://igshpa.org/2026-igshpa-annual-conference/. Don’t miss this growing industry’s best opportunity to learn, network, and plan for the future of ground source (geothermal) heat pumps!

Associated Press (AP) writes about the advantages of GSHPs in schools

IGSHPA’s Board Chair, Jack DiEnna, and Executive Director, Jeff Hammond, quoted in recent AP article.

Isabella O’Malley, Climate Solutions Reporter for AP, recently wrote an article on the benefits of GSHP technology in school applications. Of all of the applications that are great for the technology, schools have the greatest need for many reasons. Check out this impressive article!