Many of the early geothermal HVAC systems installed in our area were in rural locations, for a variety of reasons. The main consideration in several of these areas was poor access to natural gas supplies. Natural gas was, historically, a less costly energy source for heating our homes, especially with the advent of high-efficiency furnaces. Electric heating was often accomplished in these areas with electric baseboards, limiting air movement in homes due to the lack of ducting and fans associated with forced air. Humidity issues are more common with this type of heating supply, and electrical energy costs are higher than with comparable gas furnaces. Because of this, many of the current local companies that pioneered geothermal systems were based in rural communities.