National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Learning About Renewable Energy

Geothermal Direct Use for Homeowners

The following resources will help you learn more about the direct use of geothermal energy and its applications for the home. If you are unfamiliar with this technology, see the introduction to geothermal direct use.

General Information

U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program: Direct Use
Basic information about the direct use of geothermal energy.

Oregon Institute of Technology: Geo-Heat Center
Features information on research in geothermal direct-use technologies, including maps and the following publications available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs, Download Adobe Reader:

• Direct Heat Utilization of Geothermal Resources (PDF 383 KB)
• The Economics of Connecting of Small Buildings to Geothermal District Heating Systems (PDF 126 KB)
• Small Greenhouse Heating (PDF 140 KB)

Financing

Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy
Provides information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy.