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A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office: Navigating the Maze of Solar Options, Incentives, and Installers Paperback – October 7, 2010
Solar power, once a fringe effort limited to DIY enthusiasts, is now fast becoming mainstream. Many home and business owners are curious about solar electric and solar thermal systems, and wonder how to go about getting a clean energy generation system of their own. The vast majority will hire a professional installer to do the job. But what should they be asking of these installers? What system makes the most sense for their home or office: solar electric, solar hot water, solar heating, or some combination of these?
A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office explains the options so that property owners can make the right choices both for their energy needs and their financial security. Understanding how solar power systems work will enable readers to be informed customers when dealing with professional installers-the book also provides advice on how to select a qualified installer and understand the expanding variety of tax credits and other incentives that are popping up around the country.
The market for solar systems has been growing at an exponential rate and strong tax credits ensure continued growth even in a sluggish economy. Many of those who would like to catch this undeniable wave of the future are held back by widespread confusion. A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office clears the air, allowing property owners to move forward with confidence to make their homes and offices more comfortable, environmentally sound, and secure against wild swings in energy prices.
- Print length176 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherChelsea Green Publishing
- Publication dateOctober 7, 2010
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-101603582614
- ISBN-13978-1603582612
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Most people appreciate solar energy-much as they do motherhood and apple pie-but many do not know about the practical everyday uses of solar power. While they grasp the simple concepts, they are commonly confused by the intricacies of buying solar electricity, heating, and hot water systems. Hooray for this no-nonsense guide that makes this quagmire comprehensible!"--Johnny Weiss, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Solar Energy International
"A Solar Buyer's Guide for the Home and Office provides a detailed and clear overview of the many solar options available today to power and heat our homes and businesses. If you are confused about where to begin- or who to turn to for guidance and advice-this book is a great place to start. I highly recommend it."--Greg Pahl, author of The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis
"Once again, Stephen and Rebekah Hren have delivered an authoritative sourcebook. ...[T]heir Solar Buyer's Guide is a thorough, readable look at how we might turn to the sun to meet our energy needs. It delivers history, explains policy, and untangles the briar patch of the solar jungle. Thanks to this book, the path to sustainability is significantly less perilous: No machete required."--Lyle Estill, author of Small is Possible and Biodiesel Power
"Need a clear guide to approaching solar energy choices? Stephen and Rebekah Hren's new book will help you sift through the marketing hype and make sound decisions for your clean energy future."--Ian Woofenden, Senior Editor, Home Power Magazine, and author of Windpower for Dummies
About the Author
Stephen and Rebekah Hren live in Durham, North Carolina, where they are both actively involved with renewable energy, natural building, and edible urban gardening. Rebekah works with Honey Electric Solar, Inc. as a professional designer/installer of photovoltaic systems and domestic solar hot water systems. She is a NABCEP-certified solar photovoltaic installer, licensed electrical contractor, and ISPQ-certified solar instructor for Solar Energy International. Stephen is a professional restoration carpenter, focusing on antebellum houses. He teaches natural building classes and workshops at the local community college, and in any spare time works with Bountiful Backyards, an edible landscaping cooperative. They are the authors of The Carbon-Free Home.
Stephen and Rebekah Hren live in Durham, North Carolina, where they are both actively involved with renewable energy, natural building, and edible urban gardening. Rebekah works with Honey Electric Solar, Inc. as a professional designer/installer of photovoltaic systems and domestic solar hot water systems. She is a NABCEP-certified solar photovoltaic installer, licensed electrical contractor, and ISPQ-certified solar instructor for Solar Energy International. Stephen is a professional restoration carpenter, focusing on antebellum houses. He teaches natural building classes and workshops at the local community college, and in any spare time works with Bountiful Backyards, an edible landscaping cooperative. They are the authors of The Carbon-Free Home.
Product details
- Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing; 1st edition (October 7, 2010)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 176 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1603582614
- ISBN-13 : 978-1603582612
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stephen and Rebekah Hren live in Durham, North Carolina, where they are both actively involved with renewable energy, natural building, and edible urban gardening. Rebekah works with Honey electric solar, Inc. as a professional designer/installer of photovoltaic systems and domestic solar hot water systems. She teaches photovoltaic installation classes around the country for Solar Energy International. Stephen is a professional restoration carpenter, focusing on antebellum houses. He teaches sustainable building classes with SEI, and is actively involved in establishing a new food cooperative for Durham. For the past ten years they lived in a passive and active solar off-grid cob house they constructed together, but recently gave up the country life to move to Durham. They are currently renovating a conventional 1930s inner-city home to be fossil fuel free and documenting the process. The project includes rainwater catchment, a green roof, edible urban gardening and of course solar power -- passive, PV, and solar thermal!
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