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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> If one had a room with less glazing than needed to heat it optimally (warm 
> only at 2pm on a sunny day so supplemented by woodstove) and one put black 
> 55 gal drums of water in front of the glazing that is there. Would it make 
> the room colder? Why or why not?

To do the math you need a bunch of numbers including solar orientation, 
number of hours of sunlight penetration, gallons of liquid, size of room, 
insulation, heating degree days, etc.

This is the theory that caused the Trombe Wall. In my experience, they 
don't work. And they sure darken the interior of a room. Better to have 
lots of mass, such as dark concrete floors exposed to the incoming solar.