Energy pile combines the ground source heat pump system with the traditional pile foundation, which has the advantages of high heat exchange efficiency, less space occupation and low cost. This paper summarizes the latest research results on heat transfer and bearing performance of energy piles at home and abroad, and analyzes the influencing factors and mechanism of heat transfer performance, structural response under thermal-force coupling and numerical models of heat transfer and structural response of energy piles. Based on this basis, the next research suggestions and prospect of energy pile are put forward. The analysis indicates that the largest heat exchange area of the spiral tube and the best heat exchange efficiency; under the action of cyclic shear at the pile-soil interface, the lateral friction resistance attenuates, which continuously weakens the bearing capacity of the energy piles. Moreover, the uneven refrigeration/heating demand in one cycle may cause the surface temperature imbalance, thus affecting the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, the optimized design of energy piles and the reliability of long-term service will be the focus of future research.