In winter, the barrier keeps the heat in. The hottest we got last summer was 78 degrees inside the house. Alexander explained that during the summer evenings, which are generally cool in Carson Valley, she opens the windows, then shuts them in the morning to trap cool air inside. Sun streams in this room and can be funneled through the rest of the house two ways. One is by leaving open the doors into other parts of the house, and two, through windows on the interior walls.
Natural light fills the house, another advantage of the interior windows.
In the summer, windows on the outer walls allow airflow into the house. Natural seems to be a key word for this home. Plantation wood is not nearly the quality of the wood we used to have. Straw can be grown in one year instead of 10, she pointed out. Carrying out her determination to use natural products when possible, Alexander has wood shelves and countertops and concrete floors instead of Formica-topped cabinets and linoleum.