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Solar Power Your Home For Dummies

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Description

The bestselling alternative energy reference book in North America―now in an updated editionWant 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.Expanded coverage of the technology that underpins full-scale solar-power systems for the homeNew small- and mid-sized solar products, projects, and applicationsRik DeGunther is a design engineer who started his own energy consulting firmFeaturing ten of the easiest and cheapest DIY solar projects, Solar Power For Dummies, 2nd Edition is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source! Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies; 2nd edition (January 19, 2010)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0470596783


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 84


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 1 x 9.1 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #219,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #16 in Solar Energy #423 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books) #471 in Sustainable Living


#16 in Solar Energy:


#423 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • This book is great for new solar energy learners.
This has a lot of information for beginners, the price is good, this is a good reference guide you can use forever.
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2023 by Tina and Curt
    • Good book
The book is a little beat up but it was used. Still a good item good info
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020 by Bailey
    • Like.
I said, I like Dummie books for this dummy. Helps to dummy up before the hard stuff.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024 by Aaron Customer
    • A must for self intallers
Have wanted to learn about renewable energy and all the components and the correct way to install. So much information out there and no real instructions to go with it. The manufacturers just assume you already know how to install these items and calculate what you need. This book tells it all and is a must for someone wanting to do an install. You can do it completely yourself using this book no matter if you are handy with tools or not. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2013 by Larry8241
    • valuable lesson
Bought it used, and used it is. I learned my lesson, buy it new!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024 by Luanne
    • What a Resource this is!!!!
We are finally building our home overlooking a small vineyard we've designed and now are bound to it.....just like a baby, can't take it back, you know? Okay, Solar Power Your Home has been a fantastic primary source guide book. Full of clear understanding and guidance...my husband is fascinated by solar energy! Good start to put us on our way! thanks. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012 by Claire Cashman
    • Not a good resource for solar electric energy
We are looking to install solar electric panels on our roof, and I ordered this book to get some background. Unfortunately, this book is of little value. If you know anything about this area, you probably don't need this book. The first 75 pages are basically garbage and fluff irrelevant to solar electricity. LIke most of the "Dummies" book, this one is filled with miserable attempts at humor. Please, just educate me. If I want humor, I will go to a YouTube channel. The book then covers ventilating houses, hydro power, and wind power; more wasted pages. How is this relevant to solar? Finally, on p. 249 the book finally takes on the technology of solar electric panels. Unfortunately, the technical content soon ends on p. 286. This is followed by a chapter on off-grid solar systems (for wealthy survivalists, I suppose). Finally, many pages are spent on how to hire a contractor,how to pay for a project, and how to sell a house. Maybe this really, really, is a book for dummies. Finally, this book's content is somewhat dated. Although it has a 2010 copyright, most of the content seems to date from the mid-2000's. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2017 by PoconoTom
    • regarding todays technology and this book.
SORRY, I COULDN'T FIND THE "SPELL CHECK" FIRST THE PENCIL THEN THE TYPWRITER AND NOW THE COMPUTER WITHOUT SPELL CHECK KEEPS MAKING MISTAKES. THIS BOOK IS A GOOD STARTING PLACE TO LEARN THE TERMINOLOGY AND GLEAN IDEAS FOR SERIOUS, "BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING" STUDY. I RECOMMEND BUYING IN ADDITION OTHER BOOKS AS LONG AS THEY HAVE AN INITIAL PUBLICATION DATE OF 2010 OR 11 NEXT YEAR ETC. DO NOT BUY A NEW BOOK ON TECHNOLOGY THAT IS EXPANDING LIKE A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION UNLESS IT IS FIRST EDITION CURRENT YEAR. (TV SETS 5 YEARS AGO LO DEF PLASMA 2 YEARS AGO CHEAPER PLASMA AND LCD 1 YEAR AGO HIDEF LCD THIS 2010 HIDEF AND 3D AND NOW 4 COLOR TECHNOLOGY. ACCORDING TO THE ADVERTISING AS LAST MONTH.) WHEN YOU BUY ANYTHING THAT USES ELECTRICITY TAKE THE TIME TO DETERMING ESTIMATED KWH AVERAGE AT 70 DEGREES F. UNLESS OF COURSE MONEY DOES NOT MATTER. IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE WITH THE CURRENT THINKING OF THE GOVERNMENT AFTER NOVEMBER 2006 YOU ARE GOING TO BE PENALIZED FOR HAVING POWER HUNGRY APPLIANCES. (THEY ALREADY GOUGE YOU ON YOUR INEFFICIENT AUTOMOBILE CLASSES AS A GUZZLER). HOWEVER,,, THERE ARE TWO AREAS OF CONCERN WHEN IT COMES TO SOLAR POWER CHOICES. FOLKS WITH NO MONEY AND NO PHYSICAL ACCESS TO MATERIAL FOLKS WITH GOBS OF MONEY AND ARE WILLING TO SPEND IT WISELY. FOLKS LIKE A CERTAIN NOBEL PRIZE WINNER WHO HAS THE LARGEST SINGLE FAMILY ELECTRIC BILL IN THE NATION AND THE MILLIONS TO PAY IT WOULD NOT NEED THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK IS IN-BETWEEN BUT MORE TOWARD THE TOP OF THE RANGE OF NEED. PROBABLY A 7 OF 10 IF YOU NEED A REFERENCE POINT. SOLAR ELECTRIC IS GOING FORWARD SO FAST IT IS AMAZING BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE COST IS ALSO GOING AHEAD AT THE SAME SPEED LIKE THE CARROT IN FRONT OF THE MULE. ACTUALLY THE SOLAR ELECTRIC COST IS GOING UP FASTER THAN THE SAVINGS. BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING CHECK THE BOTTOM LINE WHEN COMPARING THE COST OF THE PAID FOR SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM AT THE END OF IT'S GUARANTEED LIFE TO THE COST OF THE ELECTRICITY YOU DID NOT USE. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL BE BILLED FOR THE PAPERWORK EACH MONTH REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU USE. ASK THE ELECTRIC COMPANY HOW MUCH YOU ARE PAYING PER KWH BASED ON 500 PER MONTH OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE BEEN USING. THEN DIVIDE YOUR CONSUMPTION INTO YOUR ACTUAL BILL IN PENNIES (MATH BECOMES COMPLICATED OTHERWISE) AFTER BEING PREPARED FOR A SHOCK. I PAY $36 FOR THE FIRST THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER I USE. THE ACTUAL WATER IS MORE LIKE $1.25 BUT THE ADD-ONS HAVE ME FOR LUNCH. AVERAGE WAGE IN JAPAN IS AROUND $60,000 USD WHICH IS WAY AHEAD OF AVERAGE U.S. WAGES, AND STILL THE JAPANESE PEOPLE SPEND ALL THEY MAKE JUST TO LIVE. THIS IS THE SAME FOR ANYBODY NOT LIVING ON A TECHNOLOGY EXPLOSION CURVE. THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE TIME TO READ AND STUDY THIS BOOK ARE NOT LIVING ON THE EXPLOSIVE CURVE AND DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO INVEST IN A SYSTEM THAT WILL TAKE 30 YEARS TO PAY FOR IT'S SELF. THERE ARE THOSE WHO DO ACTUALLY INSTALL SOLAR ELECTRIC BECAUSE THEY MUST. PEOPLE LIVING A 3000 FEET DOWN A 30 DEGREE HILL FROM THE GRID NEED SIXTEEN POLES AT $8000 A POLE JUST TO GET ELECTRICITY. THIS IS $128,000 JUST FOR THE POLES. SOLAR ELECTRIC AND WATER LOOKS VERY GOOD THEM. YOU CAN BUILD A SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM FOR A THIRD OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANYS POLES COST IN THE CASE ABOVE AND BE IN ELECTRIC SERVICE IN A WEEK AFTER THE JOB STARTS. FIGURE HOW MUCH YOU NEED AND THEN DOUBLE IT FOR PRACTICALITY. I KNOW ABOUT THE ABOVE BECAUSE ONE OF MY FRIENDS IS IN THIS SITUATION, AND FOR 10 YEARS HAS LISTENED TO PROMISES FROM THE ELECTRIC COMPANY GO UNFULFILLED. AFTER 10 YEARS OF GENERATOR POWER HE BORROWED THE MONEY AND CONTRACTED THE SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM. HE DID NOT READ A BOOK BUT INSTEAD WENT TO A SYMPOSIUM HELD BY THE SALES ORGANIZATION. THE BOOK IS OF NO VALUE TO THE NON TECHNICIAN EXCEPT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF LEARNING WHAT THE WORDS AND NUMBERS MEAN. THIS SAME PERSON IN THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE BOUGHT A SOLAR WATER HEATER SYSTEM WHICH HAS NO MOVING PARTS WITH THE TANK MOUNTED AS PART OF THE PANEL. (NO ELECTRIC FOR A PUMP) AGAIN HE DID NOT READ A BOOK AND HAD THE SOLAR SALES GUY CONTRACT THE INSTALLATION. IT WAS NOT THE BEST CHOICE OF PLUMBING ARANGMENT (I SERVICE FIVE DIFFERENT BRANDS OF HOT WATER SYSTEMS) AND IT HAD PROBLEMS THAT I WAS ABLE TO EASILY FIX BY DOING THE CORRECT ROUTING AND PLUMBING TO MAKE IT RELIABLY DO WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF IT. THIS SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEM PAID FOR IT'S SELF IN VERY SHORT ORDER. HIS PREVIOUS HEAT CAME FROM PROPANE TANKS HE HAULED TO THE PROPANE STORE TO BE FILLED. IN HAWAII ENERGY IS SOLD BY THE BTU WHETHER IT IS GASOLINE DIESEL, PROPANE, OR ELECTRICITY. YOU PAY FOR THE ENERGY YOU USE AND NO SYSTEM PROPERLY USED IS CHEAPER THAN ANY OTHER. THINK OF THIS. ALL WATER HEATERS AND STORAGE TANKS LOOSE ENERGY THROUGH THE SHELL. SOME ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS,, A LOT BETTER. GAS HEATERS ALSO LOOSE ENERGY THAT GOES OUT THE CHIMNEY (DON'T BURN YOUR FINGERS TESTING THIS). (YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AT HOW MANY HOUSES AND CONDOS HAVE STRANGE PLUMBING RESULTS DUE TO SIMPLE ERRORS) IMAGINE THE NEXT DOOR CONDO USING YOUR HOT WATER. CONDOS ARE USUALLY FLIPFLOPPED BR TO BR KIT TO KIT. STUFF HAPPENS. I DISCOVERED THIS 40 YEARS AGO WHEN AN OWNER SUDDENLY HAD NO HOT WATER IN THE BATH BUT DID HAVE IT EVERYWHERE ELSE. I FOUND THE ELECTRIC BEING OFF NEXT DOOR WAS THE KEY TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM. THE BATH HOT WATER WAS SWITCHED. (IN CONDOS THE COLD WATER IS PROVIDED UNMETERED IN VERTICAL STACKS FOR TWO ADJACENT APARTMENTS) SWITCHING COLD PIPES IS INCONSEQUENTIAL UNTIL YOU TRY TO SHUT THE WATER OFF AND THE MISPLUMB IS INVOLVED (ALL WATER FOR ONE CONDO UNIT IS TERMINATED AT ONE PLACE NEAR THE KITCHEN IN MOST CASES). ANOTHER TIME I FOUND THE ELECTRIC FOR TWO (WALL COMMON) HEATERS WERE SWITCHED. THE OWNERS WERE PAYING EACH OTHERS BILL. ONE GUY KEPT TRYING TO CONSERVE AND THE OTHER GUYS BILL KEPT GOING DOWN SO HE DID NOT CARE ABOUT USAGE. SOME FOLKS THINK THAT A PLUMBING INSPECTORS JOB IS TO MAKE CERTAIN THE SYSTEM IS SAFE AND WILL WORK PROPERLY. THE "SAFE" PART PROBABLY,,, BUT WORK PROPERLY IS NOT NECESSESSARILY GOING TO HAPPEN. THE FIRST CHALLENGE TO THE PLUMBING AND ELECTRIC INSPECTOR IS TO COUNT THE FIXTURES TO SEE IF THE QUANTITY MATCHES THE APPROVED PERMIT. TOO MANY OR TOO FEW WILL BE CAUGHT BY THE INSPECTOR. PERMITS PRICING IS BASED ON ESTIMATED COST AND NUMBER OF TERMINATIONS. SOME REALISTIC REASONING IS ALSO APPLIED BUT VERY LOOSELY. CODES MUST BE MET WHERE SAFETY IS INVOLVED SUCH AS TERMINATING THE T&P VALVE OUTSIDE OF A LIVING SPACE AND PROPER GROUNDING PRACTICES. THE T&P OF A SOLAR HEATER PANEL IS RARELY BROUGHT DOWN TO A PROPER DRAIN OR SAFE AT GROUND LEVEL VENT. (STEAM FROM A PANEL THROUGH A 3/4 INCH PIPE CAN AND WILL BE OVER 300 DEGREES AND WILL DESTROY ROOFING AND PLASTIC GUTTERS IN SECONDS. (LIKE A CHEAP PLASIC CAN IN YOUR DISHWASHER) (THAT STRANGE OFF-COLOR YOU SEE NEAR ONE END OF A SOLAR WATER PANEL IS NOT FROM STUFF IN THE TAP WATER, IT IS FROM SUPER HEATED WATER THAT IS INSTANTLY BROUGHT TO BOIL WHEN THE PRESSURE IS RELEASED AND BLEW OFF TO CORRECT THE OVERHEAT WHEN THE PUMP ELECTRIC OR THE PUMP IT'S SELF FAILED. ANYBODY IN THE PATH OF IT IS GOING TO BE SEVERELY BURNED, (YET IT MEETS CODE). KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU DEPEND ON REDDY KILOWATT TO POWER THE SOLAR SYSTEMS WATER PUMP AND FOR ANY REASON THE POWER GOES OFF THE SUN DOESN'T. YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES AT THAT TIME. 1. COVER THE PANELS WITH A SILVER TARP. 2. ACCEPT THE DAMAGE THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN THE PANEL TRIPS THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE VALVE AFTER YOU TURN OFF YOUR WATER AND RELEASE THE CITY PRESSURE LEAVING THE HOT TAP OPEN SO THE STEAM WILL GO INTO YOUR NON PLASTIC SINK OR TUB. (THAT PLASTIC DRAIN PLUMBING WILL NOT DO WELL IN 180 DEGREE, OR HOTTER, WATER) YOU CAN TEST THIS BY RUNNING A P TRAP THOUGH A DISHWASHER CYCLE IN THE BOTTOM RACK. (SOME DISPOSERS WILL BE DAMAGED BY SUPER HOT WATER). THIS HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN YOU WOULD IMAGINE (I SERVICED ISE BRAND FOR 40 YEARS AND SOME HAD PLASTIC PANES IN THEM THAT WOULD DEFORM WITH 180 DEGREE TAP WATER AFTER TEN OR MORE MINUTES). IN HAWAII GROUNDING IS A JOKE BUT THE CODE IS MET ANYWAY. GROUNDING CODES ARE BASED ON ORGANIC SOIL WHICH IS THE RESULT OF A MILLION YEARS OF MOTHER NATURE DOING HER THING. SOME CODES REQUIRE SOIL CONDUCTIVITY TESTING AND SOIL ADDITIVES ARE NECESSARY (THIS WORKS WIHT ORGANIC SOIL) HAWAII DOES NOT HAVE ORGANIC SOIL. YOU CAN PICK MY FARM SOIL UP WITH A MAGNET. NOT EVERYTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS AND YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2010 by Jesse E. Shaw

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