The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower
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Description
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 by Dan Chiras 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.
This is an excellent book, because it has much information in general, different green ideas for your home. And that is important for you and the Planet today and future.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower
My wife and I are in the process of designing our retirement home here in the Colorado foothills. We want to build one that is both energy efficient/independent and retain that “curb appeal”. This book has provided us with a great many ideas that will help us achieve that goal.
Rating: 4 / 5
The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower
I think this book was great, very informative but I wished there were more pics to go along with the techniques. Overall I love it!
Rating: 5 / 5
The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower
Not only did I find this book useful, I enjoyed reading this book. I am not a techy science person, nor do I usually seek out nonfiction, but I found that this book was written for people like me – people who are interested in making some changes in our homes to help our planet and lower our bills. The book was set up with clear chapters outlining the pros and cons of various types of renewable energy sources (wind, water, solar, and more) and how we can retrofit our homes to use them. It contained several comparison charts for the different options described, including cost comparisons, and the author provided detailed information about the information in those charts. The book also explored small changes we could easily make, and there was a section about the future of renewable energy. Written to be thoroughly understandable and readable, this book helped me become much more aware of things I could do to make some “green” changes, which was exactly the information I was seeking. All in all I recommend this book highly!
Rating: 5 / 5
The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower
Could have used more content on solar theory and techniques, and less on what is available commercially…
More DIY info would be better.
MJL
Rating: 3 / 5
The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower