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• A new structural design method for earth-to-air heat exchangers in greenhouses is described. • The structural design method incorporates greenhouse heat balance model to better match greenhouse characteristics. • The system is more energy-efficient and stable in intermittent operation mode. • Application of an earth-air heat exchanger is a green technology for greenhouse sustainability. An earth-air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a type of environmental regulation equipment that is suitable for greenhouses. In the future, it could be a green technique for greenhouse energy supplementation. However, EAHEs lack structural design methods for application in greenhouses. Consequently, this paper presents a structural design method for an EAHE based on the architectural characteristics of greenhouses. Firstly, the EAHE design heat exchange amount was calculated according to the greenhouse heat and cold load, then the pipe length, diameter, air velocity, and burial depth were determined by combining the heat transfer efficiency and number of transfer units (NTU), and finally the final parameters were optimized and selected according to the energy loss and construction cost. The design method was validated in a greenhouse in northern China, and the heat transfer performance was analyzed in both intermittent and continuous operation modes. The results showed that the novel structural design method could guide the application of EAHE in a greenhouse and satisfy the energy demand of greenhouses. The measured average greenhouse temperature at night increased by 1.57 °C and 1.11 °C, respectively, under intermittent operation and continuous operation and decreased by 1.19 °C and 1.32 °C, respectively, during the day. The EAHE performance coefficients for heating and cooling conditions under intermittent operation were 21.49 and 18.15, respectively, significantly higher than those for continuous operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]