Agricultural drying has decreased the most due to the closing of the onion/garlic dehydration plant at Empire, Nevada. Two district heating projects have also shut down; the Litchfield Correctional Facility in California and the New Mexico State University system.

There has been a slight increase in snow melting, cooling and fish farming, with a major increase in industrial process heating due to two biodiesel plants (Oregon and Nevada), a brewery (Oregon), and a laundry (California) coming on line.

The number of installed geothermal heat pumps has steadily increased over the past 15 years with an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 equivalent 12 kWt units installed this past year. Present estimates are that there are at least one million units installed, mainly in the Midwestern and eastern states. Over 50% were installed in 10 states (Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania) (EIA, 2008). Approximately 70% of the units are installed in residences and the remaining 30% in commercial and institutional buildings. Approximately 90% of the units are closed loop (ground-coupled) and the remaining open loop (water-source). It is presently a US$2 to US$3 billion annual industry in the country. The largest installation currently under construction is for Ball State University, Indiana where 4,100 vertical loops are being installed to heat and cool over 40 buildings using geothermal heat pumps.

The distribution of the various applications are as follows:

139.89 MWt and 1,360.6 TJ/yr for individual space heating;
75.10 MWt and 7,73.2 TJ/yr for district heating;
2.31 MWt and 47.6 TJ/yr for air conditioning (cooling);
96.91 MWt and 799.8 TJ/yr for greenhouse heating;
141.95 MWt and 3,074.0 TJ/yr for fish farming;
22.41 MWt and 292.0 TJ/yr for agricultural drying;
7.43 MWt and 227.1 TJ/yr for industrial processing;
2.53 MWt and 20.0 TJ/yr for snow melting;
112.93 MWt and 2,557.5 TJ/yr for bathing and swimming;
12,000 MWt and 47,400 TJ/yr for geothermal heat pumps.

The total is 12,611.46 MWt and 56,551.8 TJ/yr