Heat must be moved from the place where it is produced in order for it to be useful. Heat can move from one place to another in three different ways: by transporting, by conducting and by radiating.

In central heating, for example, the heat produced by a fireplace is transported into the rooms of the building through water pipes. The water inside the pipes transports heat. The water also conducts heat into the metal pipes that surround it. These pipes then conduct heat into the air. Some of the heat also radiates through the air. 

The same process occurs in nature. The Sun radiates heat into the ground. The ground then conducts heat into the air around it. Finally, the air transports heat from one place to another in the form of wind.