NYSEG’s Proposed Utility Thermal Energy Network Pilot Advances to Key Phase in Ithaca
Project will perform standard testing as part of next steps to expand Ithaca’s electrification capabilities
ITHACA, N.Y. — June 16, 2025 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) will conduct soil sampling tests to gather data as part of its proposed Utility Thermal Energy Network (UTEN) Pilot Project on Ithaca’s North side. The sampling will take place on Tuesday, June 17. This is a critical data gathering phase, following completion of initial participant recruitment and engineering design work.
“Good data makes for good projects; the soil sampling will provide a sound basis for a successful project” said Vinicius Rossetti, Planning Initiatives director with NYSEG’s parent company Avangrid. “The proposed Ithaca UTEN Pilot Project is a pioneering initiative designed to empower customers to take an active role in the clean energy transition by accelerating adoption of geothermal systems.”
Sampling will take place on City of Ithaca property. No road closures are planned and public disruption will be minimal. Soil sampling is a standard requirement on all proposed utility project sites. NYSEG routinely conducts soil sampling for sub-surface projects like buried distribution lines, gas infrastructure, or this UTEN pilot project. Data collected will inform development of the proposed UTEN pilot project.
Under NYSEG’s proposed pilot program, participating businesses and residences will connect to an open loop networked system supplying thermal energy for heating and cooling via geothermal heat pumps in the buildings. The cost of the pumps will be covered by NYSEG as part of the pilot, and in accordance with the Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act signed into law by Governor Hochul in 2022.
In total, 73 customers residing in the 45 buildings in the proposed pilot project area, 29 of which are residential buildings, have signed a letter of intent to participate in the pilot project. A third of residences in the proposed pilot project area are owned by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, a nonprofit serving low to moderate income residents in a seven-county region.
Geothermal heating and cooling units connected to a UTEN deliver significant advantages to homes and businesses when compared to other heating and cooling systems. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective systems for heating and cooling buildings.
“The proposed UTEN pilot project is right for Ithaca,” said Andrew Roy, manager of Special Projects at NYSEG. “It aligns with the community’s first-in-the-nation 100 percent carbon-free city climate policy, seizes the potential for the system to provide energy savings for all local residents, and creates opportunities for economic development.”
The project will reduce on-site greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with Ithaca’s green initiatives and accelerate decarbonization by using renewable energy for heating and cooling multiple buildings simultaneously rather than individually. It will also satisfy increasing demands for enhanced electrification while reducing the need for new transmission lines. In addition, the scalable proposed pilot project means that NYSEG could make it possible for more people in Ithaca to make the switch to geothermal heating and cooling by joining the UTEN, and subsequently providing a more equitable, affordable alternative to installing systems in individual buildings.