Solar thermal on Silo House

In addition to solar electric panels, most homes use solar thermal panels to make hot water for showers and for heating. Hanging on the back of Cornell's Silo House are evacuated tubes to heat water while the horizontal array on the roof is solar photovoltaic panels. Some teams, including California and Germany, are using only electric panels and not solar thermal collectors. Having the entire house use electric power allows the designers to better control the house's mechanical systems, they say.