New Solar Thermal System for Griz House 8

It's been a warm, but snowy and sunny winter in Missoula. Just the conditions you would ask for if you wanted to start to wean yourself from the comforts of combustion. Tim Chester again took matters into his own hands and built not one, but two solar thermal systems over break. "I was bored," said Chester in a recent interview by Journalism graduate student Allison Mills. After installing his first system on his own garage, Tim set out to warm the Director who up to now has been guilty of merely sapping heat from the wall units his colleagues kindly power up. With any luck, Tim's device will keep the southwest corner suite of GH8 warm with BTUs to spare.

Bradley Layton, Tim Chester and Adam Coppock pause for a pose after a successful installation of Tim's solar thermal creation. The total cost of materials was under $250. The system's baffles were made from repurposed aluminum cans which were mindfully deposited in the recently deployed recycling bins at Missoula College.

To hear Allison Mills's KBGA radio interview, click here.