Earth Energy Society of Canada

Since 1985, the Earth Energy Society of Canada and its predecessor Canadian Earth Energy Association, have represented the domestic earth energy (ground-source / geothermal heat pump) industry, with a mission to promote quality installations and to promote earth energy technology as a viable economic and environmental option in Canada's energy scenario. It is responsible for developing and delivering adequate and relevant training for practitioners, and promoting the applications on economic and environmental bases, and its staff executive (Bill Eggertson) was chair of the technical sub-committee which wrote CSA C-448 on the design and installation of geothermal heat pumps. In 2006, EESC was served with a major legal claim for promoting the technology through a website which used the term 'geo-exchange.' The word 'geoexchange' is a trademark, and groups which used that term (including the Canadian Association for Renewable Energies) were sued in federal court for earning "illegal profits" from "delictuous, illegitimate and unlawful activities." The claim was settled in 2009 on the condition that no details of the settlement be made public. Due to the legal suit, the directors of EESC resigned to minimize their exposure, and the legal action has prevented EESC from devoting resources to provide a package of information on the technology as it had for 20 years.