Vermont Gas (VGS) is partnering with Dandelion Energy to bring geothermal heating and cooling to Riggs Meadow, an affordable housing development in Hinesburg, Vermont. Under the arrangement, VGS will pay upfront for and own the underground ground loops, shifting a substantial installation expense away from the developers. Dandelion will handle system design and drilling.
The development, led by Champlain Housing Trust and Evernorth, will include 44 townhomes and apartments for low- and moderate-income renters and owners. According to VGS's April announcement, geothermal will serve 36 homes across four multifamily buildings, each with its own ground loop. Electric ground-source heat pumps circulate fluid through underground pipes to move heat between the ground and buildings, providing efficient heating in winter and cooling in summer.
The project builds on VGS's broader Clover Energy offering, in which the utility owns and maintains underground infrastructure while customers own indoor equipment and pay a monthly fee. That fee has not yet been disclosed for Riggs Meadow. Dandelion CEO Dan Yates called utility-owned ground loops "a practical, immediate solution to decarbonize housing," while VGS president and CEO Neale Lunderville said geothermal can make renewable heating and cooling accessible to more Vermonters. Drilling is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with residents expected to move in by late 2027.