Your heating bill may need to come with shock absorbers this year. Natural gas prices are expected to go up between 30 percent and 50 percent. KXII will be offering you some solutions to saving you money during any time of the year during our month long feature called Progressive Power.

When we talk about progressive power, we think of new technology, but in this case, the technology is decades old. Still, most of us have never heard of it. The secret is in what you don't see deep underground.

At the Denison Housing Authority, money is tight. 200 apartments are maintained for low income families, so gas and electric bills can get outrageous. But six years ago, an idea formed to use geothermal energy, and it cut their bills in half.

It's a system of pipes that use the energy underground to warm and cool your home.

Here's how it works:

250 foot holes are drilled into the ground usually a in the front or back yard. Then high density polyethylene plastic pipes are installed and filled with water that will circulate through the pipes.

The temperature underground, depending on the area, will remain between 62 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a constant, comfortable temperature.

During the summer, a pump pulls hot air from the home and pushes it underground where it is stored. The heat is displaced, and the water is cooled. It flows back up to the home through the indoor unit which them blows cool air into the house.

In the winter, when the pump is switched to the heat mode, the system will absorb the warmth of the earth and bring warm water to the unit where it is heated with the help of a heat pump.

At the Denison Housing Authority, bills were cut by nearly 67 percent on average. It's a good deal, but there's a catch.

Greg Dudley of Earth Energy Tech and Supply, Inc., a company based in Marietta, Oklahoma, said that it would cost $16,000 to install the system into a 2,000 square foot home.

"The actual costs are in the drilling and the installation," Dudley said. "It costs money to operate these drilling rigs. 14 years ago, we did more business in Missouri, Kansas and that area, maybe South Texas. Now, its more and more in Oklahoma because people are becoming more energy conscience and looking for ways to save money. It does cost more to install a geothermal, but the pay back on it is 5-6 years."

The fact is that they are busy, and industry and the government are looking to convert. Ardmore High School and Will Rogers Elementary School are already on a geothermal system.

This is by no means an advertisement for geothermal systems, and if you are considering something like this, it is an investment and should be treated as such.

Interview a potential contractor, get estimates in writing, ask for references and call them. Everyone KXII talked to said the system works well, but if it is installed incorrectly, you won't see the kind of savings you should.

The Denison Housing Authority used grant money to install geothermal systems in most of their units. They are working on converting the rest over the next few years.