Solar Power Your Home For Dummies

by Rik DeGunther

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 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 Featuring ten of the easiest and cheapest do-it-yourself solar projects, Solar Power For Dummies is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source!

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Technology

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2007

Reviews

[SDest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd have given this book a full 5 stars if it had been more recent, but as the library only had the 2008 edition, it was still very useful in terms of learning the basics of how to do an energy audit and what to look for before one begins to consider installing solar on one's home, not to mention lots of really neat smaller preparatory solar projects to build experience leading up to the big install on one's house, should one be lucky enough to own part or all of a house. This should be required reading and learning in middle school or high school.

[Mostanquest]

Very helpful book to know about solar energy and it use for house. Unlock the power of sustainable energy with commercial solar panels in Perth. Our cutting-edge solutions provide businesses with reliable and cost-effective renewable energy options. The commercial solar panels perth Reduce your carbon footprint while saving on electricity bills. With our expert installation and maintenance services, you can trust that your solar panels will perform optimally, ensuring long-term benefits for your business and the environment. Join the green revolution today!

[Zohaib Rana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book speaks about the practical steps that need to be taken to set the house up for solar panels. Mostly, it speaks about calculating expenses, insulation, how it can save money and the governmental regulations associated with it. However, a chapter or two on details into the circuitry of solar cells would have been useful as well!

[Mike Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waste of a book

This book do not tell me anything I didn't already know. This book has a big waste of money. Don't buy it

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Solar Power Your Home For Dummies by Rik DeGunther which is a very good book which I bought from kindle. If you have a solar power installation fitted in your house chances are you will get a contractor to do at least some of it and this book guides you through the various jobs involved but also helps you find a good contractor. It also guides you through the various options and tries to give you a rough idea what they cost. For some people it can be as simple as setting up solar lights in the garden which only cost a few pounds and merely have to be positioned in sunlight. A lot of people want a solar panel in the rook which can be used to heat water or provide electricity or both. Most climates can benefit from solar power in your home and they have incredibly efficient and can even work when it's cloudy for example. Many people use it in conjunction with wind power and most areas are windy especially if you locate the wind turbine carefully. Most solar power installations that heat water heat a non water liquid that in turn heats the water. This lessens the risk of corrosion. Many people especially in hot climates use solar power in conjunction with their swimming pool. When you consider a typical swimming pool costs $25,000 solar powering it adds a relatively small cost and helps lessen electricity bills. If you are tempted to fit this kind of thing yourself bear in mind that you will probably have to cut through the roof and it's notoriously difficult to seal it to avoid leaks. If you have solar panels on your roof they must be able to withstand a wind of 125mph and if the wind blows them off they are likely to be like a giant frisbee and maybe decapitate someone.

[Linda Munro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I thought this was a book about solar power from scratch, as in making your own panels etc. Well, that was not what this book was about, but it did give me tons of ideas on how to assure my home is energy efficient, as well as pros and cons of solar energy use in the home. One thing that this book did not change was the fact that solar power is expensive, in otherwords, not for the poor or lower middle class (so, maybe that's why they are poor or lower middle class, huh?).

The book did give easy to follow inexpensive solar projects you could create; personnally I think the solar oven outrannks a summer kitchen by 100%

[Matt Heavner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don't got for the "dummies" series, but this is one of the better solar power books I've found. It has both a broad, readable scope (thinking broadly about solar from making solar iced tea to designing a new house to maximize solar PV/water/design). It had sufficient details to be useful and really covered the bases. This won't be your only solar book, but this is definitely the best foundation I've found for your small solar library.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview. It has calculators to help you figure out just how much a solar panel system will save/cost. I will consult it when I eventually get around to getting quotes on putting in solar panels.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far a good primer... but there arent
really any project how-to's in this

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I read this?

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with lots of tips for beginners and advanced..

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive book about solar power and how to practically apply the theories and the technology into your house, I found it very interesting and educational.