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[GumboYaYa]

http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/subtopics.cfm?TopicID=3

Here is how I built my passive solar heater:

First I found an old window frame (with glazing) to use as the exterior frame. I nailed a 1" x 4" frame around that. Next I collected aluminum cans from my neighbors and friends and attached them in the shape of my frame using a non-toxic adhesive. I painted the cans black with a flat black paint and mounted my cans to 3/4" styrofoam insulation with a small exhaust vent hole cut in the top and set that in my frame. Next I attached a piece of wood panelling that I had left over from a home project onto the back and sealed it with caulk. I hung the heater facing south on the exterioe of my house and drilled a small hole through a bathroom window near where I hung the heater to run a dryer exhaust hose from the heater to the window. I attached an exhaust fan to the hole in the bathroom window that connected to an eletrical outlet in the bathroom. I built a similar system into an existing basement window. Total cost of both - about $60.00 each.

<ON EDIT> You can purchase a similar system that will likely perform even better than the one I built for about $500-$1,000.
We used 30% less gas this winter and reduced our bills significantly. If I had gotten my heaters completed earlier in the winter, we would have saved even more in gas. Next year I plan on adding solar powered exhaust fans and expanding the size of my heaters. We are also installing a wood burning stove. Given the inevitable gas shortgae I want to be prepared to keep my house warm without paying a fortune.