In The Homeowner's Guide to Energy Efficiency, John Krigger and Chris Dorsi help homeowners set realistic personal goals for reducing their energy consumption. Their methods for making homes more energy efficient will also improve comfort, safety, durability, and resale value. They guide readers through the process of assessing current energy usage and predicting the benefits and estimating the costs of remodeling options. With projects ranging from simple fixes to large-scale renovations, this book offers solutions for the energy-conscious homeowner, regardless of budget, technical ability, or time.
In a clear, nontechnical language, this book explains how solar heating works and how it can be applied to your home - in active and passive space heating, domestic water heating, and pool heating.
From the back cover: Presenting the first homeowner's guide to solar water heating that is intended for both the do-it-yourselfer and the person who is going to use a solar installer. It is literally filled with the latest state-of-the-art information that gives you all you need to know to: optimize the efficiency of your present hot water system; survey all the options and select the system that's right for your climate, your house, your hot water needs and your budget; calculate in advance, the amount and value of your solar energy savings; build a high-quality solar collector; plan and execute a professional-quality installation that will heat your domestic water or your swimming pool, hot tub, or spa; use other alternatives to the common water heater, such as efficient heat pump water heaters and systems that heat water with a wood or coal stove; work with a solar installer; and locate important sources of supply for special solar components and hardware.
As fossil fuel supplies dwindle, home heating will be one of the major challenges in temperate and cold climates in upcoming years. The reserves of natural gas used to heat the majority of North American buildings are rapidly being depleted. This latest Green Energy Guide helps readers who want to slash their energy bills and reduce their dependence on scarce resources to navigate the sometimes confusing maze of clean, reliable, and affordable options. Solar Home Heating Basics focuses on renewable energy strategies to heat new and existing homes and small businesses. These include: *Energy efficiency, weatherization, and insulation *Solar hot air heating *Solar thermal systems *Passive solar heating *Backup heating systems While most solar home heating resources are geared primarily towards new buildings, this practical guide addresses ways of retrofitting existing buildings, making solar a reality for many people. Packed with all the essential information home and small business owners need to find alternatives to conventional heating solutions, Solar Home Heating Basics is your key to a personal energy solution. Dan Chiras is a respected educator and the author of thirty books on residential renewable energy and green building, including The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy and Power from the Sun. Dan is the director and lead instructor at the Evergreen Institute's Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building, where he teaches workshops on energy efficiency, solar electricity, solar hot water, small wind energy, green building, natural plasters, and natural building.
Presents information on how to improve a home's energy efficiency and switch to renewable energy resourses to provide electricity, hot water, heat, and cooling for a home.
