Product Description

A straight-talking book tells grid-connected homeowners how to use free energy from the sun and wind to reduce or even eliminate their electric bills, and what to expect from this independent, thoughtful lifestyle. Whether you live in the sun-soaked Southwest, or windy North Dakota, alternative energy has come of age with affordable modern technology. Now with rebates and incentives from most states, installing a home system is an economically-attractive and environmentally-responsible option. Chapters include: - Why invest in alternative energy for your home? - Is it legal and safe? - How solar electricity really works - Batteries or not? - Sizing a system to fit your home and your needs - Got Wind? - What does it cost? - Does your state offer rebates or incentives? - Permits, Paperwork and Financing - The Nuts & Bolts: what to look for, what to avoid - Who does the installation? - Extensive appendix with resources, manufacturers, sizing worksheets, glossary, and more

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #495814 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-15
• Released on: 2005-06-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Booklist
Learn a new vocabulary! Take a refresher course on the electrical power of the sun and the wind! Although the enthusiasm of renewable-energy experts Ewing and Pratt might get a bit wearing, they've developed a nontechnical reference and guide for home owners thinking about pulling the plug on their utility connections. In fact, after a look at the table of contents, the appendixes just might be the right place to start figuring out whether photovoltaic panel installation makes sense geographically and financially and which states offer rebates or incentives. A host of resources is also offered. Sidebars (e.g., special meter or no?) and trivia (e.g., the watt is named after its Scottish-born inventor) plus numerous charts, illustrations, and anecdotes help demystify the science and math. No windy authors here. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
GOT SUN gets it right. Clear and concise, all the information needed by anyone who wants solar or wind energy. --Jeff Wolfe, Global Resource Options

This is the best book ever published for the lay person about residential solar energy. Besides being fun to read, it will answer every technical question the homeowner would ever want or need to know. As the solar home power business explodes in America, this well-illustrated, easy-to-read book is essential. --Neville Williams, Founder Standard Solar Inc., Solar Electric Light Company, and Solar Electric Light Fund

A book that's on topic, to the point, and well-written! Without burdening the reader with off-on-a-tangent distractions or too little information, Rex and Doug have done an excellent job in addressing the more important bits of knowledge and information sought after by those wanting to get involved with solar energy. A true value of the book is found in the Appendices: there is a great amount of information to a large number of related, from lists of component manufacturers, to state agencies, US maps of solar insolation, lists of organizations and associations, and others. --Richard Carter, GreenEnergyCafe.com

About the Author
The authors know firsthand how these systems work: Rex Ewing, author of "Power With Nature" and "Logs, Wind and Sun," has lived off-the-grid in the Colorado Rockies since 1999; and Doug Pratt, former technical editor of the "Solar Living Sourcebook," lives in a northern California grid-tied home and has been on the front lines of the renewable energy revolution since 1985.