Customer Reviews

Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings (5th Edition)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the home performance world this is called "the Krigger book." It is THE book to get for professionals, and it is often handed out in conjunction with BPI and HERS trainings. I refer to this book more than any other in our company's library. The 23 appendices are alone worth the price of the book.
Of all the books on home energy efficiency, this book does the best job of explaining building science in the sense of how residential buildings perform as energy systems. Anybody who thinks making a house more efficient is just a matter of slapping up some insulation up and handing out a few energy-saving light bulbs will have their eyes opened after reading this book. It has lots of useful drawings in addition to the clearly written text.
Important stuff in this book that are not in the "mental maps" of most homeowners and many contractors include: energy intensity indices (such as BTU/sq.ft./HDD-CDD), calculating heating loads, types of heat flow, defining the thermal boundary and air boundary, air leakage theory and testing (blower door usage), calculating natural air exchanges per hour (ACHn) from a blower door reading (CFM50), heating unit and distribution system efficiencies, non A/C cooling strategies, lighitng loads, light quality and efficient lighting, increasing water-use efficiencies, mechanical ventilation ("seal tight and ventilate right"), indoor moisture load-issues-management, combustion safety and indoor air quality, etc. As you can see, this may be a little too indepth for a homeowner. But anyone working in insulation and home energy performance should be familiar with these building science concepts. Get the book, get the right tools, and get good training!
With all the emphasis on and new funding for energy efficiency in 2009 and beyond, this is a book that should be on reference shelves for a lot of businesses and organizations. I had an extra copy from a training and I donated it to our local public library. I see that Krigger and Dorsi also have a more concise book for homeowners -- probably just as good.

"Residential Energy" is the best introductory book I have found on the sources, end uses, efficiency, conservation and analysis of residential energy. It is a comprehensive resource that provides an in-depth understanding of how the physics of energy influences the house as a system.

Because the book is targeted at consumers, students and tradespeople, it provides thorough coverage of theory, practical applications and construction details; in accurate yet easy to understand language, without assuming the reader has extensive knowledge of the subject. The book includes 315 pages, 350 drawings, 60 charts and tables, an extensive glossary, 23 appendices and a thorough index.

It is an appropriate workbook to accompany a high school, trades school or college course focusing on residential energy and would be especially relevant as a training manual for prospective residential energy auditors. Landlords, homeowners, renters, building inspectors, architects, engineers, carpenters, insulation contractors, HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians all have something significant to gain by reading this manual.

If a person understands the principles, theories and tools described in this book, they have a very thorough general knowledge of single and multi-family residential energy sources, end uses, efficiency, conservation and analysis.

Nicely done book for beginning residential energy auditor at the coomunity college level. Updated with lots of additional info in the back. With the cost of energy becoming a current issue, this book covers it all. So, if you want to enter this emerging field, this book would be a helpful start.

The problem is that this is the "only" textbook on the subject. It gets lots of good reviews but they seem to ignore the following: The book has technical errors; not a lot but still..... It is poorly arranged and can be difficult to follow. A good example is the intro. This should be a short synopsis of what to expect ... instead, it tries to teach the whole subject in 13 long pages complete with complex charts. The index is missing many important entries, making it difficult if not impossible to locate information. At times the author seems to get lost in the issue he's trying to convey and not get back to the needed result. There are not nearly enough examples to helpfully convey complex ideas (in some cases there are none, in others the examples serve only to confuse the reader). There are only drawings; in many places a picture would be far superior. All that said, it IS the only textbook available and in spite of all its shortcomings provides a lot of information.
The authors also have 2 field handbooks. Do not waste your money on these. Their physical layouts are excellent (spiral bound, good size, good internal layout) but, and this is important, the contents are practically useless. They are NOT field handbooks in the proper sense (to be used as reference works in the field). Be sure to look them over before purchasing -- you'll find they bring no value.
Instead I'd highly recommend the Taunton Press book by Bruce Harley "Insulate and Weatherize". Altho it's written more for the homeowner, its high level of professionalism makes it a good text for people entering the energy efficiency business. The pictures and layout are a perfect example of "how to write a book". It's a delight and conveys the issue exceptionally well in a fraction of the space that "Residential Energy" tries to. But it won't have the complex physics and math of the Krigger book.
Someone needs to tackle this field with a fine textbook -- and do the world a favor.

04/08/2011 -- Cover price on this book is $45.00. Today, Amazon sells it for $45.00 and $50.51. There is NO difference that I can see. The ISBN printed on the book itself matches the $45 version, and the $50 version I just received came with a sticker over the book's ISBN showing a new number (the one listed with the $50 version above). I *believe* they both come with the CD, but of course I can only attest that the $50 version does.

I can't explain the double listing by Amazon; I can only say it does exist as of this date. I have seen this book listed as high as $65.00...and it's the same book with the $45 price printed on it. Whatever! I agree with all the other positive reviews of this book.

Based on an earlier review I bought both this book and the recommended Insulate and Weatherize, and I found both useful. The latter is a very helpful and accessible guide, while this book (Residential Energy) is one that I know I will need to read more than once and aferwards come back to often; it is quite packed with info. There is a difference between "doing something useful" to reduce energy costs and "doing most everything that can be done" which, given escalating energy costs (despite any temporary downturns) in our future, is what we need (because if you allocate money to make your house use 50% less energy but energy costs double, how are you going to repay yourself?). As a "local energy committee" person in a small town concerned about helping people weatherize adequately, I keep finding there is more that I need to know, and this is the book that helps.

I've built a few energy star homes and decided to further my education in this direction. This book has been a great resource which I've read a few times now. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking to build better homes or for those looking to understand aspects of home energy auditing. As a homeowner looking to develop a better understanding or the auditor looking for more in depth understanding.

Consider starting with "Insulate and Weatherize: Expert Advice from Start to Finish" by Bruce Harley instead which is a more practical "Go Do It" book with lots of photographs. "Residential Energy" does have more formulas and the like.

This is a great book that walks you through the fundamentals to the more complex aspects of energy conservation in residential units. I find it easy to read, well organized with good graphics and tables.

This book was a great read and support tool for the training I was taking. It starts out with physics concepts and moves smoothly through how they are applied to the buildings.
smart layout and great reference sections make it a very useful tool.