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Solar Houses

• Introduction
• Bibliographies
• Solar Decathlon
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• Solar I
• Solar II
• Solar III
• Solar IV
• Solar V

Solar House II was completed in 1947. Its heat collectors were located not on the roof, but on the south facing wall. The laboratory was divided into seven sections, each of which contained differing amounts and types of heat collectors (stacked cans painted black).

No power was needed to run the system except an air circulating fan. However, heat loss was very significant on winter nights, even with an aluminized screen between the glass and the storage area.

Solar House II was converted into Solar House III in 1949.

"Contrasts in heating: 2 installations: hot water-heating and solar heating," Domestic Engineering 173 (March 1949): 110-111, 157.

"Solar heating on the beam," Business Week (March 15, 1947): 21-22.  

"Solar heating on trial in Northeast, Southwest," Production Engineering 29 (March 10, 1958): 26.  

Dietz, A.G.H. and Czapek, E.L. "Solar heating of houses by vertical south wall storage panels," Heating, Piping & Air-Conditioning 22 (March 1950): 118-125.  

Gray, Robert and Steven Baker. Survey of Solar Buildings. Center for Environmental Research, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, University of Oregon, 1975.

Hollingsworth, F.N. "Solar heat test structure at M.I.T.," Heating & Ventilating 44 (May 1947): 76-77.  

Shurcliff, William. Solar-heated buildings: A brief survey. 4th ed. (1974), 13. [TH7413 .S47]

Sibley, J.A. "Harnessing the sun," Tech Engineering News 22 (November 1941): 134-136, 152.