Thanks to the geothermal heating system beneath the complex, his weekly energy costs have dropped from up to £40 to just £15.

“It’s easy to use. You set the temperature you want, from 14 to 26 degrees, and that’s it,” he said. “It’s on all the time – hot water, heating, air conditioning – and the savings really add up.”

The system works by tapping into heat stored underground, extracted via sex boreholes beneath the car park. These connect to a shared plant room where heat pumps compress warm groundwater drawn from Sherwood sandstone layers, rock formed over millennia and found widely across Northern Ireland.

The region has been identified as one of eight “Goldilocks zones” in the UK, which are areas with optimal conditions for geothermal energy, according to the British Geological Survey. The porous nature of Sherwood sandstone makes it particularly suitable for this technology, which has long been used in Scandinavia.

Dr Marie Cowan, director of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, said the principle is simple: “The deeper you go, the warmer it gets.” The heat can then be circulated through homes, schools, or even entire towns via closed-loop systems. She believes the results from pilot projects, including sites in Antrim and Stormont, can be scaled up across the country.

Installer Ryan Daly, of Daly Renewables, said geothermal systems are up to 400% more efficient than traditional gas or oil boilers and require less maintenance. “It’s reliable, low-carbon, and future-proof,” he said.

However, despite its potential, Northern Ireland remains the only region in the UK and Ireland without a renewable heating support scheme for private homes. The Department for the Economy is currently consulting on a proposal to change that.


For Dr Cowan, the shift is personal. “Twenty-five years ago, I came here to explore for oil and gas,” she said. “Now we're using the same rocks to help decarbonise the future.”