Homeowners Phil and Erica own 200 acres outside of Nashville, Tennessee near Ashland City. The land was inherited by Erica and her siblings from her mother, who had protected it from future sub-division with the Land Trust for Tennessee. Erica wanted to build a sustainable energy efficient home that would honor her mother's legacy and last generations into the future.

It takes a lot of energy to heat water, much more than it takes to heat the same volume of air. For example, you would have to operate a 100-watt light bulb for about 36 minutes to heat one cubic foot of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The same volume of air would heat up in less than one second with the same light bulb.