“Beneficial electrification is used to describe the need and the benefit to our society to electrify all our buildings. The primary purpose for doing this is to reduce the emissions coming from combustion heating of those homes and businesses.”

“The report, compiled by environmental groups using data from publicly regulated utilities, found at least 15,728 gas leaks statewide at the end of 2019, some of them dating back several years. A majority are ‘grade 3’ leaks, considered the least dangerous, but the report’s authors note that any leaking combustible gas is a hazard.‘Gas leaks are potentially explosive, kill trees, harm human health and release destructive greenhouse gas,’ said Audrey Schulman.”

“Gas companies in Massachusetts are not historically allowed to innovate, and they’re not allowed to deliver anything other than gas to their customers,” Schulman said in an interview. “And so, they are unable to change. Because they have to replace the infrastructure now for safety, they are installing at incredible cost a technology the was cutting edge in the 1800s.”

“HEET is proposing a new way to heat buildings where old gas pipe is dug up, through the ‘Geo-Micro-District,’ an ambient temperature, shared-water loop connecting many customers for both heating and cooling.‘Some of the gas pipelines in Boston date to the Civil War. … Is this the infrastructure we want for the coming century?’ Magavi said.”

The leading building retrofit magazine posts an explanation of the problem of leaking gas pipes and the networked geothermal solution.Networked geothermal systems are ground-source heat pumps arranged in a closed vertical system that could be installed in a single row along an existing utility corridor. Vertical boreholes and service connections could be located between existing infrastructure.

“HEET is working with Eversource to build three GeoMicroDistrict pilot locations in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts state senate recently approved an amendment to its 2020 climate package allowing for thermal energy pilot projects.”