Larry Lessard on Scaling Geothermal Networks for Maximum Climate Impact

@

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Lawrence Lessard is an applied scientist with a career encompassing #hydrogeology, contaminated site remediation, and #geothermalsystem design and installation.

He is the founder of both Lessard Environmental, Inc. and Achieve Renewable Energy, LLC. He is also a nature and astronomical photographer, third degree blackbelt in Judo, and a Hang Glider Pilot.

Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Larry revolutionizes traditional HVAC approaches:

Key Insight #1: Geothermal Efficiency Crushes All Alternatives

The Challenge: Natural gas boiler systems max out at 92% efficiency while losing energy up the flue

The Solution: Geothermal systems move heat energy instead of creating it, achieving 400-600% efficiency

ROI: Equipment lasts twice as long (protected indoors) with dramatically lower lifecycle costs and zero combustion emissions

Key Insight #2: Network Geothermal Unlocks District-Scale Impact

The Challenge: Individual building systems can’t serve properties without underground space or share thermal loads

The Solution: Connect multiple buildings to shared ground heat exchangers—cooling-dominant buildings export heat to heating-dominant ones

ROI: 100+ year lifespan for ground infrastructure creates generational sustainability investments, like “building a cathedral”

Key Insight #3: Target the Biggest Carbon Slice First

The Challenge: Many sustainability efforts focus on electricity (only 10-15% of emissions) while ignoring bigger opportunities

The Solution: Prioritize building heating/cooling (30%+ of emissions) and transportation (34%) for maximum climate impact

ROI: Attacking the largest emission sources delivers the biggest environmental returns and typically the best financial incentives

Sustainable Soundbite

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

This Week: Calculate your building’s heating vs. cooling loads to determine geothermal feasibility and efficiency potential

This Quarter: Explore federal tax credits (30-50% depending on location and domestic content) and local utility rebates for geothermal installations

This Year: Evaluate network geothermal opportunities across your building portfolio—identify cooling-dominant buildings that could share heat with heating-dominant ones

Connect & Learn More

• 🔗 Connect with Larry Lessard: LinkedIn

• 🌿 Learn about Achieve Renewable Energy: Achieve Renewable Energy

• 📖 Recommended reading: A Civil Action: Jonathan Harr 🎬

• 📚 New England Geothermal Professional Association: NEGPA

• 🗒️ Read the transcript: here

Don’t forget to catch more episodes and resources for all of your green building news at the Green Building Matters website.

Want More Green Building Insights? Sign up to our Newsletter.

Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun