Ideas worth spreading

How to heat your home without hurting the planet

1,593,252 views | Kathy Hannun • TED Fellows: Shape Your Future

Of all the mundane yet astonishing marvels of human ingenuity, knowing what it takes to heat a room to a comfortable temperature is TED Fellow Kathy Hannun's favorite. She takes us on a journey across the planet and under the sea to emphasize the dangers of modern heating, and offers a safer, planet-friendly alternative that taps into the geothermal energy right below our feet.

Of all the mundane yet astonishing marvels of human ingenuity, knowing what it takes to heat a room to a comfortable temperature is TED Fellow Kathy Hannun's favorite. She takes us on a journey across the planet and under the sea to emphasize the dangers of modern heating, and offers a safer, planet-friendly alternative that taps into the geothermal energy right below our feet.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Geothermal entrepreneur

See speaker profile

Kathy Hannun pioneers affordable home geothermal installations through novel technology.

This Old House | YouTube, 2019 | Watch

"Affordable Geothermal"

This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey travels to Albany, New York to explore ways to make drilling for and installing geothermal heat pumps more affordable for average homeowners.

David Roberts | Vox, 2020 | Article

"The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings"

David Roberts explains geothermal home heating along with other forms of geothermal and describes the role geothermal can play in decarbonizing the world’s heating.

Catherine Clifford | CNBC, 2021 | Article

"This Google X spin-off backed by Bill Gates is offering a pathway to heat and cool your home with clean energy"

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.