Community Scale Geothermal Heating & Cooling

With Colorado’s Clean Heat Plan requiring carbon-free residential heating by 2050, it makes little sense to continue expanding gas heating infrastructure to new housing developments. Geothermal energy offers a highly efficient and resilient option for new housing developments to fill the gap and provide high-performance and economical heating AND cooling using geothermal heat pumps. We’ll be joined by Maggie McCarey of Dandelion Energy, a leader in residential geothermal systems, who will provide an overview of this technology for new residential developments and highlight their project with Lennar to deploy community-scale geothermal heating and cooling for 1,500 homes under development in Colorado. The project’s goal is to standardize the technology as the most efficient tool for new housing developments on both an efficiency and economic basis. Geothermal (aka ground source or ground coupled) heat pumps provide 300-500% efficiency, dramatically reducing emissions when compared to gas heating. Furthermore, ground source heating and cooling systems lose very little capacity during extreme weather events, reducing stress on the electric grid, an area of concern with air-source heat pumps. Community-scale geothermal heating and cooling provides an excellent option for new, all-electric housing developments that avoid the safety risks and emissions associated with gas-heated homes, saving consumers money on utility bills and reducing electric grid costs for all ratepayers. ABOUT OUR SPEAKER: Maggie McCarey is the VP of Policy & Strategy at Dandelion Energy, the nation's leading provider of residential geothermal heating and cooling solutions. Maggie is a recognized energy policy expert and has spent her career spearheading innovative policy and regulatory solutions for reducing energy and emissions of the built environment in the Public & Private Sectors. Maggie has an MPA from American University. Connect on LinkedIn:   / maggie-mccarey-81ba2a10   The program was hosted by Peter Eberle, CRES Chair and NCRES Program Manager. A question and answer session followed the presentation. TIMELINE: 0:00 Welcome and announcements - Peter Eberle 2:49 Presentation - Maggie McCarey 31:44 Q&A This program was organized by the Northern Colorado chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and was recorded at their February 24, 2026, meeting. Contact us at [email protected] or visit us online at https://www.cres-energy.org/. CREDITS: Video production by Brian Beinlich, https://brianbeinlich.com. Intro/outro music: “Sailing” by Telecasted via the YouTube Audio Library. ABOUT CRES: For more than 25 years, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and its local chapters have provided education, policy advocacy, and community engagement to accelerate Colorado toward a 100% renewable energy future. CRES is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)3 membership organization that drives environmental, social, and economic benefits for our communities by promoting all forms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, high-performance buildings, and other low- or zero-carbon solutions. CRES features several local monthly speaker series throughout the state, provides speakers, experts, and workshops, and weighs in on state energy policy. Learn more about CRES, membership, and how you can sign up to become a speaker or volunteer by visiting our website at https://cres-energy.org.