Federal Demonstrations of Solar Heating and Cooling on Commercial Buildings Have Not Been Very Effective

The Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974 mandated a major demonstration of solar heating technology in residential and commercial buildings by 1977 and the development and demonstration of combined solar heating and cooling technology in residential and commercial buildings by 1979. GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) program for demonstrating solar heating and cooling on commercial buildings to determine whether DOE had accomplished its objectives for the commercial buildings program. The review focused on the following issues: whether the projects on commercial buildings were demonstrating that solar heating and cooling are practical, how successful data dissemination has been, and whether the solar demonstration program aided in developing a viable solar industry.