Product Description

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!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1732 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover
Features the ten best solar investments

Make your home energy efficient and put solar power to work for you!

Want to take advantage of solar power? This friendly, hands-on guide takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to do everything from adding small components to your home to building a solar-powered house from the ground up. You'll see how to heat and cool your home, create solar rooms, install solar lighting, and much more.

Discover how to:

• Choose the best solar system for your needs

• Handle small to large solar projects

• Build, buy, or sell a solar home

• Finance your solar investments

• Avoid the worst solar mistakes

About the Author
Rik DeGunther is the founder of Efficient Homes, an energy consultant firm that focuses on home energy audits and the design of efficient heating and cooling systems.

Customer Reviews

It's not a how to. It's a why you should
most of what is there was interesting but it wasen't what I thought it would be. It's a facts about solar not a how to get started with your home. It had little solar projects but most of these are on the web anyway.

Solar Power your Home for Dummies
Good explaination of all the different types of systems. Advantages and disadvantages are listed. Home energy analysis is helpful in detemining what system may be best for you.

Practical Solar for beginner to intermediate
This is a good introduction to how the energy from the sun can be put to practical everyday use. If you don't like to read a lot of technical stuff, this book is for you. Quick, easy reading the non-technical average person. with references for more information. This book has practical projects for the person who already has some knowledge of solar energy as well. If you're looking for a really detailed technical book of how to design and install your own solar collector (electrical or water), better get a different book. My 5-star rating is for those who are beginners or those that have a little knowledge of solar energy.