A Plague of Frogs : The Horrifying True Story Review

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(More customer reviews)Mr. Souder has the rare ability to bring abstruse science to life without bias or over-simplification. He is also a keen observer of the human species and its political interactions.
This is indeed "the horrifying true story," one I wish would go away; yet the author's presentation is dispassionate, thorough, and as non-alarmist as possible for a subject this spooky.
The book offers a good overview of current environmental science research in addition to its difficult detective story: what's responsible for these massive levels of gross deformities in frogs?

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Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)This was excellent for the basics, and gave some good info on various energy efficient ways to heat your home such as solar power, radiant heat, etc, but otherwise pretty basic.
The last chapter gives 30 ways to be more energy efficient. Of these, the least helpful was to skip the dishwasher drying cycle, and the most helpful was a tie between sealing the HVAC ducts and getting a solar hot water heater and going DIY to save $$.
Good if you need a basic reference, not so good if you're already well on the path of saving energy.

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Hands-on, practical solutions to save money by making smart energy changesOne of the best and most affordable strategies people can employ to combat global warming is to improve the energy and water efficiency of their homes. Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies provides homeowners with advice, tips, and projects to reduce costs, increase energy efficiency, and cut down on waste and pollution. After performing a do-it-yourself home energy audit, readers create an action plan based on their personal goals. Readers are presented with a wide range of potential solutions, from making better use of blinds and awnings to exploring geothermal options in order to reduce household costs and their impact on the planet.Rik DeGunther (Rescue, CA) is the founder of Efficient Homes, an energy consulting firm that focuses on home energy audits and the design of efficient heating and cooling systems.

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Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audits: 140 Simple Solutions to Lower Energy Costs, Increase Your Home's Efficiency, and Save the Environmen (Tab Green Guru Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was really happy to find a book on doing an energy audit for my home. I picked up the book without truly scanning it as it promised to provide me with '140 simple solutions.' I also expected information how to detect energy leaks around the house. However I was very disappointed with the information.
The layout of the book is well done and will be helpful to someone with very little knowledge. Note that an audit is an exam where you look to find what is wrong. That is not really provided here, what is provided is what to do about problems. But even some of the 140 solutions are issues to me. Below are a couple of examples from the book:
#30 Turn off the water when brushing your teeth - To me this is common sense, not a home energy audit related task.
#70 Turn off lights when not in use - Once again...
#95 Replace your home clothes dryer - The author is very pro about getting new appliances since they use less energy and will save money. However, the save money is not always accurate if you have a relatively new appliance and a new one is very expensive.
Other information that is important to know is that at least 25 pages of the book focuses on CO2 induced global warming. The author makes it clear that if you have any thoughts that CO2 is not the sole cause of global warming, you are ignorant
The book does conclude strongly with some resources to get additional information, however overall from pictures that were taken from websites to a couple interesting format choices, the book does not feel like a full price purchase. Perhaps at a less than $10 rate this would be well worth it.

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Reduce your utility bill and your carbon footprint
This hands-on guide shows you how to access your home's energy efficiency, and offers 140 energy- and money-saving solutions you can use right away. Inside, you'll find simple, no- and low-cost measures to identify problems and increase your home's livability and efficiency--as well as your expendable income--each and every year.
Whether you're moving into a brand new home, buying an existing property, or improving your current residence, you'll find the practical tips and step-by-step projects inside Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audits will dramatically reduce your energy usage and boost your savings in no time.
Discover how to:
Implement immediate no- and low-cost improvements for lighting, heating, electricity, insulation, water use, and more
Identify and modify the most costly appliances in your home
Reduce carbon emissions
Develop a personal energy plan
Determine how and when to contract your green renovation
Understand ratings, standards, and conversions
Fund your green home improvement projects and take advantage of grants, rebates, and tax incentives

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The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy-Smart (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a clearly written guide to saving money on energy around the home while simultaneously achieving greater comfort levels. As summed up in the introduction, Scheckel argues that following his "Triple A" approach to home energy usage will make you healthier, happier and wealthier. This approach involves: Awareness of the ways your home uses and loses energy, Assessment of your home's energy requirements, and Action taken to reduce energy consumption to a minimum. Scheckel, a career energy efficiency auditor, writes from experience. Over the years, he has visited thousands of homes and businesses and learned from observation and interviews how we use and waste our energy. In this book, he explains where energy comes from and how advanced technologies can help us use less of it while creating a more comfortable home environment.
Topics discussed in the book include energy literacy, electricity as a means of transporting energy, electrical appliances, hot water, heating and air conditioning, insulation and windows, and purchasing new appliances. Appendices include forms for calculating total energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and home heat load, as well as a list of household appliances with average energy requirements. You don't need to be an electrical engineer or have a degree in physics to follow the text. Scheckel provides clear examples of energy calculations that anyone with a hand calculator should be able to follow. The only real math prerequisite that would be useful is an ability to read and interpret pie charts, since Scheckel relies on them extensively in his discussions of energy sources and usage.
In the text, Scheckel writes about a fictional family who has called him to do an energy audit. He writes that many families contact their electrical companies for audits because their bills are high so they figure there must be something wrong with the meter. He notes that faulty meters are very rarely to blame for high bills; instead, he provides a long list of energy-wasters that he commonly finds in people's homes. Some families are so aggravated by high electric bills that they want to go solar. Scheckel has to point out to these families that with their current energy usage, they would need gigantic solar systems that would be prohibitively expensive. If they truly want to go solar, they will probably need to cut energy usage down to 3-5 kilowatt hours per day (depending on their location) in order to be able to get by on a reasonably sized solar installation. This book provides plenty of ideas for approaching such a goal without compromising on quality of life. But even so, without subsidies, solar systems still won't make economic sense-unless energy prices happen to go a lot higher.
Seven years ago, our family electrical usage was averaging 20 kW hours per day. We've tried out many of the ideas Scheckel recommends in this book, and we're now down to 5-6 kW hours per day, but still not satisfied with our savings. We're going to implement a few more of Scheckel's suggestions to see if we can get down to 3 kW hours to day or better. We're also going to work with some of the other ideas that Scheckel provides for saving money through more efficient water heating, insulation, and windows.

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With rising energy costs, homeowners are beginning to examine the energy efficiency of their own homes, asking questions about where energy comes from and how much it costs, how to choose new appliances and what options exist for renewable energy.

The Home Energy Diet answers all these questions and more while helping readers take control of their personal energy use and costs so they can save money, live more comfortably and help the environment. Energy auditor Paul Scheckel first explores energy literacy, and then describes how your home uses—and loses—energy you pay for via:

Electricity Hot water Heating and air conditioning Windows, walls and insulation

The Home Energy Diet involves readers in learning about their own homes by: measuring, metering, investigating and considering habits related to household energy use; learning how to quantify energy consumption and cost and making informed decisions about cost-effective improvements and upgrades. The book explores the misunderstood concept of efficiency versus cost by comparing fuel costs and equipment choices, including the possibility of using renewable energy for meeting home energy needs. This authoritative guide makes efficiency fun through personal anecdotes and humorous "tales-from-the-basement" energy misadventures.

Since energy efficiency is an investment that offers returns greater than Wall Street, readers can earn several hundred dollars every year just by following the advice in this book. As a bonus, many of the energy-saving strategies described can make for improved indoor air quality and healthier, more comfortable homes.

Paul Scheckel is an energy auditor who has visited thousands of homes, educating people about energy efficiency, cost-effective improvements and indoor air quality. With a passion for efficiency and renewables, he walks the talk by living in a solar-powered house and driving a car powered by vegetable oil in his home state of Vermont.

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Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a good introduction to how the energy from the sun can be put to practical everyday use. If you don't like to read a lot of technical stuff, this book is for you. Quick, easy reading the non-technical average person. with references for more information. This book has practical projects for the person who already has some knowledge of solar energy as well. If you're looking for a really detailed technical book of how to design and install your own solar collector (electrical or water), better get a different book. My 5-star rating is for those who are beginners or those that have a little knowledge of solar energy.

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The bestselling alternative energy reference book in North America—now in an updated edition
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, 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 home
New small- and mid-sized solar products, projects, and applications
Rik DeGunther is a design engineer who started his own energy consulting firm

Featuring 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!

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Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Despite Federal tax credits (up to 30% of the total cost, including installation) for solar water heating there's a lack of information on the subject.
For a handyman with good plumbing skills, or a homeowner wanting to learn about solar water heating, this is the best book available.
After a history of solar water heating in the US, the book describes various systems that use the sun to heat and store water. Climate, freeze conditions, water quality and amount of sunlight available are some of the factors considered in choosing a system, and the book describes them all. Individual components are detailed in a logical, straightforward way. It's obvious the authors have extensive practical knowledge. The writing style is informal and easy to read.
Besides all the solar water heating information, this book also has a good section on radiant floor heating, detailing the use of PEX tubing to heat a concrete slab.
The book uses a lot of drawings to demonstrate how things work. More actual photographs of systems and components would have been helpful. I also wish the authors would have included brand names and sources for equipment. The industry still suffers from the stigma of poorly designed systems of the 1970's and 80's. Some reassurances from the authors regarding which component manufacturers are good would have been nice.
For the past five years, I've lived with a solar water heating system I bought as a package and installed myself. I've been happy with all the "free" hot water it's provided. If this book had been available when planning my system I would have had a much better idea of what I was doing. Having all the components matched and sized with specific instructions gave me a lot of confidence during installation. In my opinion, for the neophyte, a component package is a good way to go.
For anyone planning a residential sized solar water heating system, this is the best book available. It's an excellent guide, whether you decide to choose the individual components yourself, buy a package, or hire a contractor to install a turnkey system.
If you're a contractor or someone wanting to get into the solar water heating business, "Solar Hot Water Systems - Lessons Learned 1977 to Today" (Tom Lane) is very good, but the amount of technical detail implies you already have a good working knowledge of plumbing and roofing. [...]
Good luck getting into hot water!

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Heating water with the sun is almost as old as humankind itself, and it is done all over the world. Yet there are strangely few resources on the topic in North America.

Solar Water Heating fills this gap. It reviews the history of solar water and space heating systems from prehistory to the present, then presents the basics of solar water heating, including an introduction to modern solar energy systems, energy conservation and energy economics. Drawing on the author's experience as an installer of these systems, the book goes on to cover:

Types of solar collectors, solar water and space heating systems and solar pool heating systems, including their advantages and disadvantages
System components, their installation, operation, and maintenance
System sizing and siting
Choosing the appropriate system.

Since people often get turned off by the up-front cost, the book focuses especially on the financial aspects of solar water or space heating systems, clearly showing that such systems can save significant costs in the long run. Well-illustrated, the book is designed for a wide readership from the curious to the student or professional.

Bob Ramlow is the solar thermal consultant for the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Program. The owner of a renewable energy company, he has over 30 years experience with solar energy systems and is a founder and director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). Benjamin Nusz currently works as a solar water heating consultant and site assessor in Wisconsin.

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