In the summer, space heating is not required so the heat is redirected to a seasional earth storage system for retrieval in the winter. The heat is stored below grade up to 20 feet beyond the footers. The sun space acts as the passive solar element with thermal storage in the floor slab. The use of a large southern overhang coupled with minimal glass on the east and west elevations help to prevent summer overheating. The building started with an ecological focus on the design, the choice and use of materials, and continues, today, to operate with the same focus.
Openable windows provide natural ventilation.
Daylight and light-sensitive design reduce the use of the efficient electric lights. On the roof are 360 square feet of rebuilt solar thermal collectors for directly heating the floor slab and hot water. In summer when space heating is not needed, heat is diverted into seasonal earth storage for retrieval during winter. In winter the warmed floor radiates heat into the building. A ground-source heat pump also accesses this storage to provide backup heating and cooling.