“I think that we will be able to handle all the heat pumps in the long run. We just don’t want it all at once,” shared Evelyn Lundhild, senior manager of program services at the Independent Electricity System Operator. “As long as we have enough time to build the supply, we can get there.”
She had one of the more difficult sessions at the 2025 Ontario Geothermal Association’s (OGA) conference at York University, North York, Ont. The two-day event, held from May 21 to 22, drew a total of 395 attendees over the two days, with day one focusing on geothermal heating and cooling in multi-residential real estate and the public sector, and day two targeting low-rise builders and contractors. The Plumbing & HVAC magazine team attended the second day of the conference.
Lundhild spoke about whether or not the grid would be ready for the push toward electrification, the status and importance of financial incentives, and the need for education about decarbonization and the geothermal industry. It wasn’t an easy position to be put in as Lundhild was grilled about the current and future status of rebate programs aimed at geothermal.
Many in the audience expressed frustration over policymakers’ lack of incentives aimed at geothermal and rather focus on air-source heat pumps. One member of the audience questioned the IESO on not knowing enough about geothermal. She ended her presentation and question period by stating, “I hear your frustrations. Let’s keep this conversation going.”
Breakout sessions
To shake things up a bit, attendees were invited to join breakout sessions. There was a panel discussion on refrigeration, and presentations on wastewater energy transfer and geothermal, building case studies for homeowner education, optimizing geothermal heat pump performance, and shifting geothermal into top gear.
During the presentation by the Building Decarbonization Alliance on best practices for building case studies, the presentation was derailed a bit by the audience. Instead of the planned presentation, an open dialogue with those in attendance broke out. Heather McDiarmid, principal at McDiarmid Climate Consulting, was able to get through her first example of the importance of case studies.
This included thwarting misconceptions with the use of storytelling. The first was that you need a big backyard for geothermal. The truth is that it can be installed nearly anywhere. She argued that these case studies “can change narratives.”
After a short coffee and networking break, Sean Mason, founder of Sean. ca, shared his experience with building geothermal developments within Ontario. He stated that the reason he was convinced to go geothermal was because he had the ability to make a difference and to try a different approach.
One of the pain points with geothermal in Canada is that the push is driven more by builders, rather than customers, reports Mason. “If we don’t make a stand, change won’t happen.” He argued that one of the ways to increase the number of geothermal developments would be to give more money to builders looking at going green money, “help take away some of the risks,” he shared. “We need to take risks. What we’ve always done won’t always help.”
Mason warned the group that green development standards are dangerous because “when it goes to municipalities, they don’t know the technology to make educated decisions.”
Future is geothermal
Right after lunch, attendees had to pick between two sessions. Jacob Jamar, principal and lead mechanical engineer at Revolve Engineering Inc., spoke on net zero as the easy way and the role of geothermal systems in our net zero future.
Unfortunately, as they were held at the same time, we were not able to listen in on this session. However, there were reports from attendees that this session went a bit off the rails and became unnecessarily political.
Michael Ridler, owner and general manager of Eden Energy Equipment, gave his presentation on thermal storage, this time with the technology working in tandem with geothermal heat pumps. He argued that there’s no question about the fact that thermal storage is coming to North America. “Think of thermal storage as the technology that outsmarts the grid,” shared Ridler. “When we look at retrofits, we have to change the way we are thinking. We need to look at the system as a whole and fix what needs to be done.”
To wrap up the day, Patrick Marion, senior procurement and sustainability manager at Mattamy Homes Canada, spoke on “Grounded in Value: Making Low-Rise Geothermal Work for Builders and Buyers.” He stated that the first thing that needs to be done is to go back to what the homeowner wants. From there, a system design can be put together. Some of the ways that geothermal can be sold to homeowners are to focus on health and safety, whisper quiet, space-saving, superior comfort and air quality, low maintenance, and long lifespan.
Homeowner education is also important. “We need to get it right,” shared Marion. “Word of mouth will kill the next development. Education is important, and it’s not enough. Train people who aren’t educated on the basics of geothermal.”
More spending needed
After a bit of a slow beginning, voting members began to trickle in for the annual board meeting. Attendees were told by the association’s accountant that the organization needs to start actively spending its funds or else it may lose its non-profit status.
The OGA shared that it will be breaking away from the Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) and will be conducting its own government relations moving forward. The board also encouraged its members for feedback. “We want it,” shared Paul Frith, president of Paul Frith Consulting and member of the board at the OGA. Firms will be involved from a federal standpoint.
New partnerships are also expected to be announced with the OGA, including with geothermal associations in other provinces and territories. “No borders; let’s support each other,” shared Frith. There isn’t current activity in creating a national geothermal association in Canada, reports Frith. That isn’t to say that it would be off the table indefinitely. In that tone, there was discussion regarding the creation of a coalition of geothermal associations in Canada, with board members from each province. “Each province should have an even voice, federally.” There may be a push in the future with the OGA hiring an administrative position or CEO.
The Trailblazer Award was given during the board meeting, with Jim Bolger, owner and president of Waterloo Energy Products, as this year’s winner. The next OGA conference will be in 2026. Date and venue to be determined.