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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 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 For Dummies is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source! more info
Popularity: 13% [?]
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Worth the read
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent overall source for solar info. It puts the information in understandable terms without “talking down” to the reader. It also includes information missing in the other more technical books I have. Such as solar security/yard lights and landscaping issues that relate to solar installations.
A valuable addition to my solar library shelf.
Power of the Sun
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
A very informative book on the subject of solar energy. The way the book was written was simple to understand and easy to read. The comparison of grid tied power to solar was very enlightening. A super read if you are considering the prospects of solar energy.
Good Book
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This book really had all the basis covered all in a language we could understand. We gained the knowledge of how to make solar power an conversion throughout the house! That’s money saving knowledge that is hard to get from just searching the internet.
I could rant and rave about this book because I found I finally have a awesome and complete book that really fills all the blank spaces and mystery of solar panels. I am very excited about redoing a home that will save me allot of money each month rather then a money drain.
http://www.SolarPowerKitsReviewed.com
Got Sun? Go Solar: Get Free Renewable Energy to Power Your Grid-Tied Home
Solar powering your home is for those with spare cash and lots of spare time. It is not a job for dummies
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Well written, writer has a great sense of humor which always adds to a good read – but … not really a job for a dummy, the faint-hearted, those with day-jobs, or anyone who lives from check-to-check, like most people do. Great book but the objective is unrealistic unless the government starts offering some really, really serious tax incentives for greening your home. For example, spending say $2000 on a solar water heating system is tax deductible, which means you don’t pay tax on that $2000 (not you pay $2000 less in income tax); so you will pay perhaps a few hundred dollars less in tax but will still pay a few thousand up-front. Most people don’t have that kind of money. If we are to green our homes then this stuff needs to be cheap and effective enough to be built into new homes as a standard feature – or it needs to be enforced by federal law. There’s no other way that the average Joe and Jill can afford this otherwise – both in money and time.
It’s not a how to. It’s a why you should
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
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.
Didn’t tell me any thing but a paln of action that will not do all of what I want
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I wouldn’t but this book again. their is only simple information here. No good drawing of a system with any details. The end
Very basic information
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The book has a lot of valuable content, but is definitely for the beginner. Most of the projects in the book recommend you purchase a “kit” and then walk you though an install. If you want simple ideas, this is great. If you are looking for more in depth information on solar or info on how to create or install a whole house -off grid – system, you should look else where.
Really for dummies!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This book is really written for dummies! If you want to spend money on a book that clearly and enjoyably scares you away from any do-it-yourself attempt at solar power installation, and instead tells you that you need an expert to do just about everything related to solar powering your home, you are as much of a dummy as I was! Note: This book is highly recommended for dummies with money to burn!
Easy and comprehensive
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Rik Degunther’s style is very easy to understand and he leaves no stone unturned in an effort to save the consumer money. He covers a lot of simple things you can and should do, even including how to economically turn on the faucet, before investing the bigger bucks into solar hardware. This book is fun to read and I especially enjoyed the emphasis on reducing our “carbon footprint”. Saving money is a good first motivation, but saving our environment should also factor into the bottom line, and his book constantly reminds us of this fact.
366 PAGES COULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN 66.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
What a waste. I am a firm believer that the the sun drives global warming/cooling. Wouldn’t you figure that a guy doing a book on solar power would figure that out? I also do not like waste. I think solar power is a smart move on its own merits. This book could save natural resources by sticking to the topic stated in its title and not doing the socialist propagandizing. 300 pages of waste (trees, shipping, ink etc.) and 66 pages of what you are buying the book for. It is the first and last DUMMIES book I buy as I’m no dummy.
Solar Power
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Lots of good info and encouragement about building a solar home or converting an existing home to solar.
Still, you will need more than this book to get started.
Not Up To Date
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This book has some interesting information but is not up to date. A beginner primer.
Not the same ole dummie
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I hadnt purchased a Dummie book in a couple of years and decided to try to get up to speed on solar. Previously Dummie books alllowed me to get into the flow of the subject quickly. Baby stepping me so that by the time I got through the book, I could keep pedaling all by myself. After finishing this book, I really didnt feel like I had much more understanding than when I started, to do a solar project of any size. I wanted to understand the pieces of a PV setup. I just didnt get enogh to feel confident after finishing this. There seemed to be more reference this and reference that rather than this is a pv panel. It is black and white, The black is this and here is why. I still dont understand what to do with that panel exactly..Maybe to detail wss there I just didnt see it as clearly as past subjects.Anyway, I just didnt get the hand holding babysteps I needed to clarify the subject and allow me to become a solar panel installer when I was done.
Good Basics of Solar Power
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Bought this for my son who is building a cabin in the Texas Hill country–he wants to stay “off the grid” as much as possible. He said this a good book for basic understanding, but will need more specifics before building…He does recommend this as a good start.
Good Beginning book for Solar
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Keeping in mind this is part of the “for Dummies” series, I really liked this book for all of the general knowledge that you can obtain. It gives a great overview from calculating your expenditures for electrical power and offers simple, real world low cost solutions that anybody can implement.
I also liked the fact the author made it clear that before you invest in solar panels for your home you should do an energy audit so that you maximize the return on your investment.
This book, as with all the “for Dummies” series of books are not the be all end all of one’s pursuit to understand solar, how it works and how it gets implemented.
Great if you’re going Green
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent book. I received it quickly in good packaging and sooner than expected. Very interesting book.
Not enough information to make it useful
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’ve been looking to build my own solar electric system for a while. Not knowing much about the technology other than what I found by surfing the internet, I felt it was time to get some real information from a reputable source.
I’ve been a fan of ‘For Dummies’ books for years: looking around my office now I can see three of them just lying on my desk and a further four in my bookcase. So buying ‘Solar Power Your Home for Dummies’ was an obvious choice.
I bought two books on solar power: this one and one other, hoping that between them they would provide me with all the information I needed to make an informed decision as to what to do. The other book I found exceptional in that it has given me the technical know-how and the confidence to do the job properly. This book I found shallow and lacking any real useful information.
The information it does give is clearly written, easily understandable and well put together. Unfortunately, it is no more than you can find by surfing on the internet for a couple of hours. I did not have the confidence at the end of reading this book that I could build a solar power system. Furthermore, much of the information is out of date and simply is not covered in enough detail to make it a worthwhile book.
There are far better books around. This is one ‘For Dummies’ book that I wish I left on the shelf.
Great Introduction to Solar
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I picked up this book after reading the author’s work on Green Your Home For Dummies, and it’s exactly what it claims to be — a solid introduction to the various solar power technologies that you can employ in your home. From a cheap, homemade solar oven to all the issues you need to consider when going full-scale PV, it’s fascinating. In fact, after reading this book, we’re well on our way to putting in a solar water heatg system.
Tips and Facts
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’ve probably read half a dozen “Dummies” books over the years and some are better than others. Eric Corey’s green series are very well written complete with information and “how-to” explanations. This book includes plenty of tips and facts about solar technology, but comes up wanting if you are looking for how to apply these systems into a building. Good reference info.
Disappointed
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I was not impressed with this book. It was not what I was looking for. It should be more appropriately titled “Home Energy Saving Tips”
It did not offer enough practical information on powering your home with Solar.
I use to installed
Solar Power Generator in my house. And, it is effective to use it. I think it should be good to efficient to use it in house. Our appliances are effectively working.