Joe Fischer wrote:
A house built for solar heat, or any type of efficient
heating, should have a triple wall construction, in contrast
to present common designs, a well insulated outer wall,
a thick masonry wall (concrete block), and either face brick
on the inside, or furring strips and plaster (drywall).
There are many concrete block houses, but almost
all have the block on the outside.

Perhaps because the block is much more durable and resistant to
the weather than insulation. Myself, I would have to run the numbers
but I have a feeling that if you have a well (even super) insulated
house then the typical contents of that house, drywall, furniture,
collections of brick a brack, would have more than enough thermal
mass to do the job.

This is as bad as all the industrial buildings having
north facing windows.

There is a good reason for this. South facing windows would have
direct sunlight shining in and this would be much too intense
and uneven for work. North facing windows, if there are enough
of them, provide more than enough diffuse light without 'hot spots'.

Anthony