Solar Power Your Home For Dummies

Description

The bestselling alternative energy reference book in North America now in an updated edition. 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 For Dummies, 2nd Edition" takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to put it to work for you! This new edition gives you hands-on tips and techniques for making your home more energy-efficient though solar power and helping the planet at the same time. Plus, you'll get all the latest information on changes to federal, state, and local regulations, laws, and tax incentives that seek to make solar-power adoption more feasible. This title offers expanded coverage of the technology that underpins full-scale solar-power systems for the home. It discusses new small- and mid-sized solar products, projects, and applications. Rik DeGunther is a design engineer who started his own energy consulting firm.

Author description

Rik DeGunther is the founder of Efficient Homes, an energy auditing and consulting firm. He holds a BS in Engineering Physics and dual Masters degrees in Applied Physics and Engineering Economic Systems. Rik is also the author of Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies and Alternative Energy For Dummies.

Table of contents

Introduction. pPart I: Playing the Energy Game. pChapter 1: Helping the World through Solar Power. pChapter 2: Surveying Your Household Energy Efficiency and Use. pChapter 3: Making Your Home Energy Efficient. pPart II: Understanding Solar Just the Facts, Ma'am. pChapter 4: Working with Solar Basics. pChapter 5: Evaluating Your Solar Potential. pChapter 6: Calculating Payback on Your Solar Investment. pChapter 7: Installing Your Solar System. pPart III: Applications Aplenty: Projects from Small to Large. pChapter 8: Digging In to Landscape Projects. pChapter 9: Jumping In to Small Projects with Big Results. pChapter 10: Heating and Purifying Water. pChapter 11: Diving In to Swimming Pool Projects. pChapter 12: Supplementing Your Domestic Water Heater. pChapter 13: Breezeway: Directing Wind within Your House. pChapter 14: Solar Pumps, Wind Power, Hydro Power, and Batteries in Applications. pChapter 15: Glass Houses (and Plastic, Too): Greenhouses and Sunrooms. pPart IV: Exploring Full-Scale Photovoltaic Systems. pChapter 16: Taking a Close Look at Photovoltaic Systems. pChapter 17: Is a Full-Scale PV System Worth the Investment? pChapter 18: Divorcing the Grid: Going Solo with Solar Power Systems. pChapter 19: Do It Yourself or Contract Out? pChapter 20: Finding the Cash to Get the Job Done. pPart V: Buying, Selling, and Building a Solar Home. pChapter 21: Building a Solar Home from the Ground Up. pChapter 22: Buying and Selling a Solar Home. pPart VI: The Part of Tens. pChapter 23: Ten Best Solar Investments. pChapter 24: Ten or So Best Do-It-Yourself Projects. pChapter 25: Ten Cheap Solar Projects and Devices. pChapter 26: Ten or So Worst Solar Mistakes. pIndex.