Confused? Ground source heat isn’t geothermal. Geothermal energy production taps into heat at the Earth’s core. Ground source heat pumps use heat stored in the soil or water under the planet’s surface level, maximum depth of 200 metres. One study showed GHP systems saved 33-65% in energy use compared with baseline HVAC systems and cut CO2 emissions by 25-65%.
https://get-green-now.com/geothermal-energy-vs-ground-source-heat-pumps/
https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/making-difference-geothermal-heat-pumpsclimatechangecrisisblog.com
It’s true that this distinction exists. However, in everyday use, the two are routinely used interchangeably, including in Arlington’s recent HeatSmart program. Whatever we call it, ground source heat pump or geothermal, it works really well and is an important path to an all-electric future.