Solar Home Heating Basics: A Green Energy Guide

by Daniel D. Chiras

As fossil fuel supplies dwindle, home heating will be one of the major challenges in temperate and cold climates in upcoming years. The reserves of natural gas used to heat the majority of North American buildings are rapidly being depleted. This latest Green Energy Guide helps readers who want to slash their energy bills and reduce their dependence on scarce resources to navigate the sometimes confusing maze of clean, reliable, and affordable options. Solar Home Heating Basics focuses on renewable energy strategies to heat new and existing homes and small businesses. These While most solar home heating resources are geared primarily towards new buildings, this practical guide addresses ways of retrofitting existing buildings, making solar a reality for many people. Packed with all the essential information home and small business owners need to find alternatives to conventional heating solutions, Solar Home Heating Basics is your key to a personal energy solution. Dan Chiras is a respected educator and the author of thirty books on residential renewable energy and green building, including The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy and Power from the Sun . Dan is the director and lead instructor at the Evergreen Institute's Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building, where he teaches workshops on energy efficiency, solar electricity, solar hot water, small wind energy, green building, natural plasters, and natural building.

Genres: Science

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2012

About the author

Dan has spent much of the past 30 years studying sustainability and applying what he has learned in solar energy, natural building, and green building to his residences, and most of the last ten plus years sharing the practical knowledge he has gained through writing, lectures, slide shows, and workshops.
Dan Chiras paid his last electric bill in June of 1996. It is not that he has disavowed the use of electricity and modern conveniences, but rather that he has turned to the sun and wind to meet his family's needs.

Reviews

[Michael Boerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned of the importance of sealing ("weatherizing") a home as the FIRST step in efficiency improvement. Otherwise, it's like pouring water into a bucket with holes. Weatherize, insulate, *then* worry about HVAC.

[Angela Greynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good balance of general and specific information on solar heating. Primarily aimed towards homes in colder climates where it would be used for more of the year.

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well described situations, likely dated but still appropriate