Lakeport's state-of-the-art climate control system serves as a national Best Practices model for historic homes.  The system is designed to maintain humidity and temperature within a close range to protect the building and its contents.  Further, the intent is to give visitors an experience of  “walking back in time,” with minimal noise and sight intrusions from modern equipment.

Exterior components of the system force conditioned air through underground high-pressure ducts and up to the attics, where ducts connect into the chimney flues, terminating at the 13 fireboxes.  In most rooms, grills for the delivery of the controlled air are at the top rear of the fireboxes, out of the line of sight. 

Air is returned to the smokehouse through a register hidden under the stair, then down under the house and back to the smokehouse through the underground ductwork.