NYCHA Eastchester and Jackson Houses – Geothermal DHW and Heating Upgrade

ProjectsBest Projects2025 Best of the Best Winners NYCHA Eastchester and Jackson Houses – Geothermal DHW and Heating Upgrade By Justin Rice Photo courtesy Adams European March 13, 2026 NYCHA Eastchester and Jackson Houses – Geothermal DHW and Heating Upgrade New York City Excellence In Sustainability Submitted by: CSA Group Region: ENR East Construction Manager: Adams European Contracting Inc. Owner/Developer: New York City Housing Authority Lead Design Firm, Structural and MEP Engineer: CSA Group Civil Engineer: Matrix New World Engineering Geothermal System Design and Construction: Buffalo Geothermal Decarbonization of New York City’s public housing portfolio advanced with one of the Northeast’s largest residential geothermal installations—a $64-million, all-electric system serving 17 buildings. The project replaced centralized fossil-fuel heating and hot-water systems with a closed-loop geothermal network, using borefields drilled 500 ft into bedrock to feed high-efficiency heat pumps delivering year-round domestic hot water. The initiative supports compliance with the city’s Local Law 97, which targets a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and 85% by mid-century. Richard Thomas, vice president–North America region at CSA Group, says inefficient existing infrastructure and undocumented leaks complicated efforts to “right size” the system. After assessing actual hot-water demand and correcting inefficiencies, the team established “reasonable and appropriate usage w...