With more and more people becoming concerned about the environment these days, it's not surprising that more natural and less impactful methods of heating are becoming popular. One of these methods of keeping your home warm is with a geothermal heating system.
Geothermal heat comes from the Earth. Below the initial layer of ground, the Earth's crust stays a fairly regular temperature and this can be used to heat homes in winter and cool them in the summer. It's usually more cost effective once the system is installed, than a furnace and air conditioning. As well, the geothermal heating system is a one time cost, plus the electricity needed to run the pump.

Check Your Property
First of all, you will need to take a close look at where you live. This is probably best done by someone who has experience in geothermal heating, since they will understand what to look for.

You need to choose a geothermal pump that will fit with the topography and soil type of your property. Also, having a natural body of water or high ground water on the property can help cut down on the amount of tubing that is necessary for installation.

Install the System
Geothermal heating systems almost always require a professional for installation. There are many factors involved, including choosing the right system for you.
Essentially, depending on the area where you plan to install, tubing needs to be laid at least 7 feet in the ground, where the temperature is constant. The tubing is laid to form long zigzags, much like the coil at the back of your refrigerator. This is going to require a lot of digging. It can be done before the home is built, or, once the house is in place, the system can be installed beside the house, with the tubes ending in the basement. Inside the tubing, water mixed with antifreeze carries heat from the earth up to the home, with the help of a pump.

There are two options for using the heat collected by the system. It can be blown out into the home, much like a furnace would do, or you can have the tubes snake under the floor, providing radiant heating. Both methods are quite effective, though the blower will be more effective if you plan to use your heating system as a cooling one in the summer, during hotter weather.

For the system to work, it needs to be deeply buried and have enough tubing to absorb sufficient heat that can be transferred to the house. Not enough and the water will still be cool when it returns, resulting in a poorly heated house. This is why it's important to calculate carefully the length of the loop and which type of system to use. In areas with very little space, the tubes may go up and down vertically instead of the more traditional horizontal position. This required far deeper trenches for installation and will often require special equipment.

Geothermal heating is an excellent way to save money over time, though the initial cost is a bit of a stunner. Nearly everyone living in cooler Northern climates will save enough money however, that within 3 years, the system will have paid for itself. The difference is slightly less noticeable in the South where warmer climates dictate lesser savings.

In many areas, the government is now offering special tax breaks and incentives to get people to install the more efficient and environmentally friendly geothermal heating systems, rather than the older versions which pollute and use fossil fuels, making this an even more worthwhile endeavor.