Cob compost heating

[Unleesh at aol.com]

It's 3 A.M. here in Los Angeles.
I just got inside from the below 40 degree weather.
I was shovelling the grass and other organic cuttings the gardeners put into 
the recycling bin to send to the city of los angeles, and putting it back in 
the yard in the compost pile.
As I dug beneath the surface, I noticed the compost steaming.
I put my hands in and they were immediately warmed.
I thought, wow, could this be used for heating?

Anyone done experiments with this?

I mean, the temperature of that grass was NOTICABLY warmer than the outside 
temperature, enough to heat my hands. Could one construct compost piles 
around the outside walls of a house to heat them, or put compost in little 
boxes that allow the heat to radiate forth??