The Smart Guide to Geothermal: How to Harvest Earth's Free Energy for Heating and Cooling Review

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(More customer reviews)As a Licensed Professional Engineer, the book "The Smart Guide to Geothermal: How to Harvest Earth's Free Energy for Heating and Cooling" has a very good six page chapter on "What Will It Cost?" The 8.5 by 5.5 inch book of photographs, drawings, charts, graphs, etc, are sufficient for the general understanding of geothermal heating systems.
This was one of two books on Geothermal Heating & Cooling ordered through Amazon with expedited shipping, because my current system was out of order. Very fortunately, they arrived 24 hours before the contractor arrived to start making measurements. The two books saved me a fortune, because the the contractor had low balled his earlier verbal estimate to one-third of the real cost. When challenged by the two books in front of him, the price tripled. Needless to say, other arrangements have been made.

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Discover why geothermal heating and cooling is the most energy efficient technology available to homeowners, and how all homes--new or retrofit, in hot or cold climates--can use this reliable, silent, non-polluting way of extracting free energy from the earth. Contents: - Geothermal system options, including open-loop, closed-loop and DX configurations, using horizontal and vertical earth loops - The importance of finding a qualified contractor - Costs, tax credits and payback issues, plus calculating increased home values - Who is using geothermal energy, including the author s firsthand experiences, home profiles from around the country as well as an overview of commercial/institutional projects - How solar electricity can be used to power the system, plus other future trends - Unraveling the science and technology of geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) - Understanding GHP performance standards, ratings and warranties - Comprehensive appendix with helpful resources (manufacturers, associations, etc.) and a career section for those interested in entering the field

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Homes That Heal (and those that don't) : How Your Home Could be Harming Your Family's Health Review

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(More customer reviews)This is such a GREAT book !!! Everything you ever wanted to know about everything in your house and how it might affect your and your children's health. The book is easy to read, entertaining and yet shock full of important facts. Did you know that some sandbox playsand contains known human carcinogens like crystalline silica and asbestos? or that microwaving a mother's breast milk will cause it to lose its infection-fighting properties ? Or that some bamboo floors contain nasty adhesives and formaldehyde ? Much research has gone into this book and yet the author uses simple stories to illustrate a variety of situations and provide solutions. The first few chapters cover the basics (Healthy vs Unhealthy Homes, Conventionally Built Home, Remodeled Older Home, and New Healthy Home) then each chapter covers a room and the hazards specific to that room (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, home office, garage) then on to pets, cleaning, home maintenance, yards, plants, etc ... and a comprehensive Healthy Home Quiz. Lots of little known facts about things like bedding, dry cleaning, smoke detectors, diapers, air fresheners, mold, radon, attached garages, even gives simple ways to check for electro-magnetic fields ... This book is VERY comprehensive and far superior to the many others I have read on this topic. It is quickly becoming my bible !

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Media reports focus increasingly on the declining health of children in industrialized countries. Asthma, autism, learning and behavior problems, and cancer are all on the rise. At the same time, there is consistent news about poor indoor air quality, mold and how buildings can make people sick.

Homes that Heal addresses both of these developments, revealing that our own homes can contribute to many of these health problems. A passionate examination of our built environment and the alarming impact today's chemically polluted world is having on the health of present and future generations, Homes That Heal is easy-to-read, solutions-oriented and humorous, full of stories and advice that empower families to take back their health on a daily basis. Topics covered include:

a Healthy Home Quiz that enables readers to evaluate the health of their own home and identify many of the common home health hazardsfactors impacting indoor air qualitya room-by-room examination of typical problems and solutionstoxic materials used in building a new home or remodelingcleaning products and other consumer hazards found in the homean easy-to-understand introduction to the science of Bau-biologie (Building Biology), an internationally recognized approach to healthy construction.

Packed with useful information and resources, Homes That Heal is written to be easily understood by busy mothers and will appeal to anyone interested in the health of his or her family. Designed for the family coffee table, it is equally suitable for doctors' offices and home improvement stores.

Athena Thompson is an award-winning entrepreneur specializing in environmental medicine and is an advocate for children's health. A natural health specialist for 18 years and a certified bau-biologist (building biologist), she is cofounder/owner of Humabuilt Healthy Building Systems and lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

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