Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden))
by Rik DeGunther
from For Dummies
Want to take advantage of solar power in your home? Whether you’re looking to save on your energy costs by adding a few solar components or you want to build a solar-powered house from the ground up, Solar Power Your Home For Dummies takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to put it to work for you!
This friendly, hands-on guide is packed with tips for making your home more energy-efficient though solar power—and helping the planet at the same time. You’ll see how to survey your home to determine your current household energy efficiency and use, and evaluate where solar power would best benefit you. You’ll also calculate what the return on your investment will be before you make any decisions. Once you’ve decided on a project, you’ll see whether it’s best to hire a contractor or do it yourself. We leave no stone unturned—you’ll also discover how to:
- Choose and install your best solar system
- Handle small to large solar projects
- Heat and cool your house with solar energy
- Install exterior solar lighting
- Handle swimming pool, water heater, or ventilation solar projects
- Create greenhouses or solar rooms
- Build, buy, or sell a solar home
- Finance your solar investments
- Take advantage of tax rebates and incentives associated with solar power
- Avoid the worst solar mistakes
Featuring ten of the easiest and cheapest do-it-yourself solar projects, Solar Power Your Home For Dummies is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source!
The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living
by William H. Kemp
from Aztext Press
As oil prices continue to rise, many people are starting to think about how to unhook from the power grid. The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses completely on off-grid, sustainable living and energy independence in a rural setting.
Author William Kemp and his wife designed their own high-efficiency off-grid home in 1991. They worked methodically to produce a home which has all of the standard "middle-class" creature comforts while using six times less heating, cooling, and electrical energy than the average Ontario home. Soon they were inundated with inquiries and decided to put their experience into book form in 2003.
This updated edition focuses specifically on off-grid concerns and contains chapters on:
Energy conservation
Heating and cooling
Photovoltaic, wind and microhydro energy generation
Battery selection, voltage regulation and inverters
Backup power
Twice the page count of the first edition, it also includes enhanced chapters on home and domestic water heating, wireless communications and biofuels. A "Showcase of Homes" chapter provides a tour of various off-grid cottages and homes, and details the type of lifestyle that can be achieved for a given capital cost. The book is augmented with appendices and hundreds of illustrations, line drawings and photographs.
William Kemp is VP Engineering of Powerbase Automation Systems Inc. and a consulting electronics/software designer who develops control systems for low environmental impact hydroelectric utilities worldwide. He is a sustainable living and clean energy advocate working in renewable energy heating, energy efficiency, photovoltaic, microhydro and wind electric systems.
Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-Tied Home
by Rex A. Ewing
from PixyJack Press, LLC
A straight-talking book tells grid-connected homeowners how to use free energy from the sun and wind to reduce or even eliminate their electric bills, and what to expect from this independent, thoughtful lifestyle. Whether you live in the sun-soaked Southwest, or windy North Dakota, alternative energy has come of age with affordable modern technology. Now with rebates and incentives from most states, installing a home system is an economically-attractive and environmentally-responsible option. Chapters include: - Why invest in alternative energy for your home? - Is it legal and safe? - How solar electricity really works - Batteries or not? - Sizing a system to fit your home and your needs - Got Wind? - What does it cost? - Does your state offer rebates or incentives? - Permits, Paperwork and Financing - The Nuts & Bolts: what to look for, what to avoid - Who does the installation? - Extensive appendix with resources, manufacturers, sizing worksheets, glossary, and more
Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
by Bob Ramlow
from New Society Publishers
Heating water with the sun is almost as old as humankind itself, and it is done all over the world. Yet there are strangely few resources on the topic in North America.
Solar Water Heating fills this gap. It reviews the history of solar water and space heating systems from prehistory to the present, then presents the basics of solar water heating, including an introduction to modern solar energy systems, energy conservation and energy economics. Drawing on the author's experience as an installer of these systems, the book goes on to cover:
- Types of solar collectors, solar water and space heating systems and solar pool heating systems, including their advantages and disadvantages
- System components, their installation, operation, and maintenance
- System sizing and siting
- Choosing the appropriate system.
Since people often get turned off by the up-front cost, the book focuses especially on the financial aspects of solar water or space heating systems, clearly showing that such systems can save significant costs in the long run. Well-illustrated, the book is designed for a wide readership from the curious to the student or professional.
Bob Ramlow is the solar thermal consultant for the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Program. The owner of a renewable energy company, he has over 30 years experience with solar energy systems and is a founder and director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). Benjamin Nusz currently works as a solar water heating consultant and site assessor in Wisconsin.
The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower (Mother Earth News Wiser Living)
by Dan Chiras
from New Society Publishers
The coming energy crisis caused by a peak in global oil and natural gas production will profoundly affect the lives of all North Americans. As the price of these vital fuels rises, homeowners will scramble to cut their fuel bills. Two options for meeting the upcoming challenge are dramatic improvements in home energy efficiency and efforts to tap into clean, affordable, renewable energy resources to heat and cool homes, to provide hot water and electricity, and even to cook. These measures can result in huge savings and a level of energy independence.
The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy tells you how. It starts by outlining the likely impacts of fossil fuel shortages and some basic facts about energy. It then discusses energy conservation to slash energy bills and prepare for renewable energy options. Focusing carefully on specific strategies needed to replace specific fuels, the book then examines each practical energy option available to homeowners:
Solar hot water, cooking, and water purification
Space heat: passive and active solar retrofits
Wood heat
Passive cooling
Solar electricity
Wind-generated electricity
Electricity from microhydropower sources
Emerging technologies-hydrogen, fuel cells, methane digesters, and biodiesel
The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy gives readers sufficient knowledge to hire and communicate effectively with contractors and, for those wanting do installations themselves, it recommends more detailed manuals. With a complete resource listing, this well-illustrated and accessible guide is a perfect companion for illuminating the coming dark age.
Dan Chiras has studied renewable energy and energy efficiency for three decades and has installed several renewable energy systems. He lives in a self-designed passive solar/solar electric home. An award-winning author of over 20 books, he is a sustainability design consultant who teaches courses on renewable energy, green building, and sustainability at Colorado College.
Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden))
by Eric Corey Freed
from For Dummies
Want to build responsibly, reduce waste, and help preserve the environment? Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies is your friendly, step-by-step guide to every facet of this Earth-friendly method of construction. Building a home—even a green home—uses plenty of resources and energy. This practical, hands-on book shows you how to build or remodel conscientiously, whether your dream home is a simple remodel or a brand-new multimillion-dollar mansion.
You’ll start by identifying green materials and sizing up potential systems and construction sites. You’ll weigh the pros and cons of popular green building methods and identify opportunities for saving money in the long run. Need to find some green professionals to assist you in your venture? We’ll help you do that, too. This book will also help you discover how to:
- Understand the lifecycle of building materials
- Choose the right system for your green building project
- Put together a green team
- Work within your budget
- Use green building methods and sustainable systems
- Speed construction and reduce energy use and waste
- Refinish old fixtures and materials
- Beware of asbestos and lead-paint hazards
- Avoid costly mistakes
Complete with lists of ten green things to do on every project and ten things you can do right now in your home in order to go green, Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies is your one-stop guide to planning and building the home you’ve always wanted.
Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Small and Micro Wind Systems
by Paul Gipe
from Chelsea Green Publishing Company
The wind power industry has been transformed in the 1990s by dramatic breakthroughs in efficiency, economy, and adaptability. Wind Energy Basics is the most up-to-date source available of information about small wind systems. The book includes the unique "standard small wind turbine rating" developed by the author, which is designed to help readers wade through conflicting performance claims by manufacturers in the U.S. and overseas. Also included is detailed information on planning, siting, and installing a wind system, and on integrating wind power with solar for more cost-effective and reliable off-the-grid applications.
In addition, Gipe provides a discussion of "net metering" and intertie possibilities, explaining how homeowners in many states can now sell their excess electricity back to the utility company.
Wind Energy Basics is an excellent introduction to wind power for educational programs concerned with state-of-the-art renewable energy options, and will be indispensable for those considering today's generation of quiet, efficient, and reliable "micro" wind turbines.
Wind Energy Basics describes a new class of small wind turbines, dubbed micro turbines, which are so small that they can be purchased for less than $1000 and carried in your hands.
The debut of micro wind turbines brings the technology within reach of almost everyone. These inexpensive machines, when coupled with readily available photovoltaic panels (solar cells), have revolutionized living in remote homes off-the-utility grid. And the increasing popularity of micro wind turbines has opened up new applications previously considered off-limits to wind energy, such as charging electric fences and powering remote telephone call boxes, once the sole domain of solar cells.
Micro wind turbines have been around for decades for use on sailboats, but they have gained increasing prominence in the 1990s as their broader potential for off-the-grid applications on land has become more widely known. While micro wind turbines have yet to reach the status of widely available consumer commodities such as personal computers, the day may not be far off. The use of wind power is "exploding," say Karen and Richard Perez in their foreword. "There are currently over 150,000 small-scale RE (renewable energy) systems in America and they are growing by 30% yearly. The small-scale use of wind power is growing at twice that amount--over 60% per year," according to the Perezes, the editors of Home Power magazine.
Southwest Windpower awakened latent consumer interest in micro wind turbines with the introduction of its sleek Air 303. Since launching the 300-watt turbine in 1995, Southwest Windpower has shipped 18,000 of the popular and inexpensive machines.
"What Americans, and folks all over the world, are finding out," the Perezes say, "is that wind power is an excellent and cost-effective alternative" to extending electric utility lines, and fossil-fueled backup generators.
Wind Energy Basics explains how it is possible—in some states—for homeowners to run their kilowatt-hour meter backwards with a small wind turbine.
This book confronts the common but controversial practice of "power rating" that may mislead consumers about the potential of some small wind turbines. Known for his frank style, Gipe quickly cuts through technological jargon and the hype surrounding power ratings.
"Nothing tells you more about a wind turbine's potential than rotor diameter—nothing. The wind turbine with the bigger rotor will almost invariably generate more electricity than a turbine with a smaller rotor, regardless of their generator ratings," he says.
Gipe also comes down hard on roof-top mounting. "Don't bother," he warns. "It's not worth the trouble." He also minces few words on mounting wind turbines in trees. "Sometimes wind energy isn't the right choice," Gipe says. "If you live in a forest of tall trees and you can't afford a tower tall enough to clear the trees, then wind energy isn't for you."
Worldwide, wind energy is booming. Not since the heyday of the American farm windmill has wind energy grown at such a dramatic pace. By the new millennium, more than 40,000 medium-size wind turbines will be in operation worldwide, mostly in California, Europe, and India. These commercial wind turbines, including those found in California's giant wind power plants, will produce 20 terawatt-hours (20,000 million kilowatt-hours) of wind-generated electricity annually—enough to meet the needs of more than three million energy-hungry Californians, or twice that number of more energy-conscious Europeans.
The commercial success of medium-size wind turbines, or wind farm machines, is only part of the story. Small wind turbines have found their role expanding as well. Whether it's on the contemporary homestead of Ed Wulf in California's Tehachapi Mountains, in the Chilean village of Puaucho overlooking the Pacific Ocean, or on the Scoraig peninsula of Scotland's wind-swept west coast, small wind turbines are making an important difference. While their contributions may be small in absolute terms, small wind turbines make a big difference in the daily lives of people in remote areas around the globe. Small wind turbines may produce only a few tens of kilowatt-hours per month, but this electricity goes much further and provides as much, if not more, value to those who depend upon it as does the generation of their bigger brethren.
Today there are more than 50 manufacturers of small wind turbines worldwide, and they produce more than 100 different models. Altogether manufacturers in western countries have built about 60,000 small wind turbines during the last two decades. And tens of thousands more have been manufactured in China for use by nomads on the Mongolian steppes.
Wind Energy Basics is richly illustrated with photographs of small wind turbines, from those on the Patagonian steppes at the tip of South America to those on the wind-swept shores of Denmark.
The book contains information on most major small wind turbines on the international market. It also provides photographs of common wind turbine applications, including their use for wind power plants, vacation homes, third world villages, farms, water pumping, and so on.
Engineers will like the "exploded views" of popular micro and mini wind turbines such as the Ampair 100, Southwest Windpower's Air 303, and Bergey Windpower's BWC 850 and BWC 1500.
The book also introduces the "griphoist" to American readers. This amazing tool, coupled with new lightweight wind turbine towers that have recently become available, has the potential to transform the installation of micro turbines. With the "griphoist", two people can safely raise a micro wind turbine on a specially designed tower without resorting to cumbersome electric winches.
The appendix to Wind Energy Basics includes detailed product specifications for most popular micro and mini wind turbines, as well as sources for wind pumps (farm windmills), used wind turbines, anemometers, inverters, trade associations, and mail-order catalogs that sell wind turbines.
The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy-Smart (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
by Paul Scheckel
from New Society Publishers
With rising energy costs, homeowners are beginning to examine the energy efficiency of their own homes, asking questions about where energy comes from and how much it costs, how to choose new appliances and what options exist for renewable energy.
The Home Energy Diet answers all these questions and more while helping readers take control of their personal energy use and costs so they can save money, live more comfortably and help the environment. Energy auditor Paul Scheckel first explores energy literacy, and then describes how your home uses-and loses-energy you pay for via:
The Home Energy Diet involves readers in learning about their own homes by: measuring, metering, investigating and considering habits related to household energy use; learning how to quantify energy consumption and cost and making informed decisions about cost-effective improvements and upgrades. The book explores the misunderstood concept of efficiency versus cost by comparing fuel costs and equipment choices, including the possibility of using renewable energy for meeting home energy needs. This authoritative guide makes efficiency fun through personal anecdotes and humorous "tales-from-the-basement" energy misadventures.
Since energy efficiency is an investment that offers returns greater than Wall Street, readers can earn several hundred dollars every year just by following the advice in this book. As a bonus, many of the energy-saving strategies described can make for improved indoor air quality and healthier, more comfortable homes.
Paul Scheckel is an energy auditor who has visited thousands of homes, educating people about energy efficiency, cost-effective improvements and indoor air quality. With a passion for efficiency and renewables, he walks the talk by living in a solar-powered house and driving a car powered by vegetable oil in his home state of Vermont.
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series)
by Kelly Coyne
from Process
The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for a fast-growing new movement: urbanites are becoming gardeners and farmers. Rejecting both end-times hand wringing and dewy-eyed faith that technology will save us from ourselves, urban homesteaders choose instead to act. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, they are planting seeds for the future of our cities.
If you would like to harvest your own vegetables, raise city chickens, or convert to solar energy, this practical, hands-on book is full of step-by-step projects that will get you started homesteading immediately, whether you live in an apartment or a house. It is also a guidebook to the larger movement and will point you to the best books and Internet resources on self-sufficiency topics.
Projects include:
- How to grow food on a patio or balcony
- How to clean your house without toxins
- How to preserve food
- How to cook with solar energy
- How to divert your grey water to your garden
- How to choose the best homestead for you
Written by city dwellers for city dwellers, this illustrated, smartly designed, two-color instruction book proposes a paradigm shift that will improve our lives, our community, and our planet. Authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen happily farm in Los Angeles and run the urban homestead blog www.homegrownrevolution.org.
The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling
by Daniel D. Chiras
from Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Passive solar heating and passive cooling--approaches known as natural conditioning--provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel. Yet while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Now Dan Chiras, author of the popular book The Natural House, brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts. The techniques required to heat and cool a building passively have been used for thousands of years. Early societies such as the Native American Anasazis and the ancient Greeks perfected designs that effectively exploited these natural processes. The Greeks considered anyone who didn't use passive solar to heat a home to be a barbarian! In the United States, passive solar architecture experienced a major resurgence of interest in the 1970s in response to crippling oil embargoes. With grand enthusiasm but with scant knowledge (and sometimes little common sense), architects and builders created a wide variety of solar homes. Some worked pretty well, but looked more like laboratories than houses. Others performed poorly, overheating in the summer because of excessive or misplaced windows and skylights, and growing chilly in the colder months because of insufficient thermal mass and insulation and poor siting. In The Solar House, Dan Chiras sets the record straight on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, he highlights certain egregious--and entirely avoidable--errors. More importantly, Chiras explains in methodical detail how today's home builders can succeed with solar designs. Now that energy efficiency measures including higher levels of insulation and multi-layered glazing have become standard, it is easier than ever before to create a comfortable and affordable passive solar house that will provide year-round comfort in any climate. Moreover, since modern building materials and airtight construction methods sometimes result in air-quality and even toxicity problems, Chiras explains state-of-the-art ventilation and filtering techniques that complement the ancient solar strategies of thermal mass and daylighting. Chiras also explains the new diagnostic aids available in printed worksheet or software formats, allowing readers to generate their own design schemes.
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