At present the geothermal energy use in the country is with geothermal heat pumps (GSHP). The total number of installations is estimated at 26,000 with an installed capacity of 3,300 MWt. More than 90% of these installations are vertical boreholes with single U-shaped pipes in open groundwater-filled boreholes.

Today, about 350 large GSHP systems for public, commercial buildings or multi-family dwellings are installed, including some of the European largest GSHP with borehole heat exchangers (BHE). These installations are borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) systems providing a balanced combination of both heating and cooling. One of the largest system comprising 228 boreholes of 200 m depth provides heating and cooling to the new Akershus University Hospital (137,000 m2). It is planned to expand the system to 350 boreholes.