Enfield Energy Futures secured a $300,000 seed grant to launch a shallow geothermal thermal network that will heat, cool, and provide hot water for 34 new townhomes in Enfield, North Carolina. The pilot could reduce household energy use by as much as 70%, offering a low‑cost, resilient solution for a town that averages $650 a month in winter electricity bills. Context The project sits on a federal backdrop that still preserves a 30% to 40% tax credit for geothermal projects that begin construction by 2033, a benefit that survived the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act's tax‑credit purge. With the grant, Enfield Energy Futures can pair the geothermal network with a planned solar farm and a weatherization hub, positioning the town as a potential Southeast pioneer after Eversource Energy's Framingham, Massachusetts, pilot. Key Data The nonprofit must raise an additional $5 million to complete the pilot, which will serve the town's 2,000 residents and could cut overall electricity demand by about 50% if expanded townwide. Construction will leverage open trenches from a federal pandemic‑relief program that is replacing aging water mains, a strategy that could save roughly 50% of the costs, according to project lead Eric Bosworth. The network will also tap into 26 utility pilots nationwide, underscoring the growing viability of community‑scale geothermal. Quotes Mayor Mondale Robinson said, "The community is super bought into the idea that we are looking beyond dirty energy," reflecting the town's commitment to clean‑energy independence. Project co‑founder Helen Whiteley noted, "Construction is so expensive. If you've got the equipment out there digging up sidewalks, and you've got to cement them over, why not just lay the geothermal piping at the same time?" She added, "If you've already got a trench open, and you're just laying the pipe in, you're saving probably on the order of 50% of the costs." Outlook With the BuildUS grant and federal incentives in place, Enfield Energy Futures is poised to demonstrate how rural communities can combine existing infrastructure upgrades with shallow geothermal technology to deliver affordable, reliable energy. If the pilot succeeds, the town could become a model for similar projects across the Black Belt and the broader South, driving both energy resilience and local job creation.