Why Geothermal Means Energy Independence, Not Just “Green”
Countries without their own oil and gas went geothermal because they had to. Oklahoma sits on oil and gas, so most people here never had to think about where their energy comes from the way the rest of the world did, but you still pay the market price for it every month. Geothermal is not about being green here first, it is about who sets the price of your energy bill.
Not one country, three different scoreboards
I get asked who “does” geothermal best, and the honest answer depends on which number you are counting. Here is what I could verify, sourced, full citations on the page notes below.
- Direct use, worldwide
- China. China is responsible for almost half of global geothermal final energy consumption, mostly space and district heating (IEA, 2024).
- Electricity generation
- The United States. The US leads the world in geothermal electricity-generating capacity, just over 4 gigawatts (US Department of Energy).
- Ground-source heat pumps, per person
- Iceland, then Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland (World Geothermal Congress 2020 review).
- Share of a country's own energy mix
- Iceland, by far. Geothermal meets almost half of Iceland's own final energy consumption (IEA, 2024).
Germany belongs in this conversation too, just not as “the world leader.” Germany's heat pump sales jumped 53% in a single year, 2022, the year the gas supply got shaky after the war in Ukraine, backed by real federal subsidy money (European Heat Pump Association). The IEA groups Germany with Sweden as countries where ground-source heat pumps make up most of what they use geothermal energy for. That is not the same as being the world's top geothermal user, and I am not going to tell you it is. It is a country that got spooked by a gas supply problem and moved.
Nobody here had to think about it. You still pay for it.
Every country I just listed adopted geothermal, at least in part, because they did not have their own oil and gas and had to solve their own energy problem. Oklahoma has spent a century sitting on both, so nobody here had to build that habit of thinking about where the energy comes from. That does not mean the energy is free. You still buy gas, propane, and electricity at whatever the market says today, same as everybody else.
That is the actual sales pitch for geothermal in an oil state, and it is not a green pitch. It is sovereignty over your own bill. Once the loop is in the ground, the ground does not send you a monthly invoice that moves with a commodity market. You are paying your regular electric rate for a system that moves heat instead of burning fuel to make it.
What geothermal is not
- Not cheaper up front. A ClimateMaster Tranquility with water desuperheater costs more to install than a standard system. It is the premium option, the one I would put in my own house, not the budget one.
- Not available nationwide through me. I install geothermal statewide in Oklahoma. That is the footprint, and I am not going to claim more than that.
- Not a guaranteed 2026 federal tax credit. I do not promise federal credits. Check current IRS and ENERGY STAR guidance and ask a tax professional about your specific situation.
- Not a free pass on the environmental case, but a real one. There is no combustion at the house and no flue with a ground-source system, and it gets cleaner as the electric grid does. Secondary reason to do it, not the reason I lead with.
The numbers, straight
- Estimate
- Free, statewide, no dispatch fee
- Efficiency
- About $4.50 of heat for every $1 of electricity
- Energy use
- Cuts heating and cooling energy use by about half
- Financing
- $0 down and 120 equal payments, about $332 a month on a $40,000 system, for qualifying projects
- Lender option
- Synchrony financing options depend on approval and current lender offers
- Building credit
- JB Financing approves credit scores as low as 590, soft pull to check
Full breakdown on my geothermal financing page and the $0-down geothermal lease.
- 47 years on tools. Started at 18, never left the trade.
- IGSHPA Accredited. The ground-loop credential.
- ClimateMaster GeoElite dealer. Factory-backed on the equipment I install the most.
- 6,500+ jobs completed, 4.8 stars: 300+ Google reviews, Google's numbers, not mine.
Energy independence questions I actually get
Does geothermal make a home energy independent in Oklahoma?
Not off-grid independent, you still buy electricity. What it does is put you on a known utility rate instead of a fuel commodity market, since the system moves heat from the ground instead of burning propane, gas, or oil to make it.
Why did other countries adopt geothermal before the United States?
Mostly because they had to. Countries without large domestic oil and gas reserves had a real incentive to develop other energy sources under their own ground. Iceland meets almost half its own final energy consumption with geothermal for that reason (IEA, 2024).
Does the United States lead the world in geothermal?
In electricity generation, yes, just over 4 gigawatts of geothermal electric capacity, the most of any country (US Department of Energy). China leads in direct use overall, and the per-person ground-source heat pump leaders are Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.
Is geothermal available anywhere in Oklahoma?
Yes, statewide. My daily service trucks stay inside seven counties around Kingfisher, but for a geothermal ground loop the drilling rig comes to your property anywhere in Oklahoma.
Is geothermal cheaper than staying on oil, gas, or propane?
Not up front. It costs more to install than a combustion system, and I will not tell you otherwise. What changes is what you are buying it with, electricity at a known rate instead of a fuel commodity, plus about half the heating and cooling energy use.
Is there a federal tax credit for geothermal in 2026?
I do not promise one. Check current IRS and ENERGY STAR guidance and ask a tax professional about your filing situation. Financing options depend on approval and current lender offers, and they do not depend on any homeowner tax-credit promise.
Own your energy bill, not just your house
Tell me where your house is and what your winter and summer bills look like. I will tell you what the ground under it can do.
Related reading: geothermal vs propane in Oklahoma, geothermal financing options, the $0-down geothermal lease.
Sources for the country-by-country claims above: IEA, “The Future of Geothermal Energy” (Dec 2024); Lund & Toth, “Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2020 Worldwide Review,” World Geothermal Congress 2020; US Department of Energy; European Heat Pump Association. Full citations in SOURCES.md.
Dave Hartzell, Hartzell's Heat & Air, 602 S Main St, Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Master HVAC License, NATE Certified, IGSHPA Accredited, ClimateMaster GeoElite.