DIY Renewable Energy Guide Comparisons

Rolling blackouts and skyrocketing utility bills have gotten our attention over the years, but in fact they have only raised the stakes on an issue that has long been important here: energy conservation. The difficult truth is, energy is always going to be a concern. As homeowners, we can improve our situation in two ways: by using less energy and by wasting less of what we do use. To assist you in creating an energy-efficient living environment, we have reviewed five of the most popular materials on how you can become energy independent and live a "greener" lifestyle.

Why Should You Go Green?

We all know the economic reasons for trying to live off the grid; the cost of oil is sky-high leading to massive energy bills, gas isn't faring any better and you've got less cash in your pocket due to the economic downturn which is hitting all of us. On top of that there are the clear benefits for the planet of shifting to alternative energy sources. By reducing our carbon and fossil fuel emissions by replacing conventional energy sources with alternative energy, scientists are convinced we can do something to limit the effects of global warming. Moreover, relying on other countries for oil is an increasingly risky proposition. All of this means that alternative energy is rapidly becoming the only real solution.

Our Top Pick for the Most Complete Package!


offgrid07

Off grid living is one of the original players in the alternative energy market and in our opinion the best overall. The problem which most people run into is simply not being able to find the necessary information they need to put their complete energy plan into action. Off Grid Living is a site that exists to help people make the move and begin living off the grid. To do this Off Grid Living gives you great advice on how to produce alternative energy. This includes a guide on building a wind generator as part of a home power solution, a whole host of information on how to build solar panels as well as tips on how to run your generator on biodiesel. On top of that, Off Grid Living has even more drastic solutions such as tips on how to build your own carbon neutral house and even layout your garden to be the most energy efficient and positive for the environment. Off Grid Living offers top quality information and that is what really defines the site and sets it apart from the rest. But the jewels in its crown are the constant news updates and really active forums plus if you run into any problems getting your project off the ground Andrew is always there to help.
As you may expect the forums are filled with great stories of people making really ingenious decisions to start living off the grid and also stories of those who didn't quite make the dream come true. From both you can learn and adapt lessons so that they are applicable to you and help you find your alternative energy solution.

Price $49.97 for all 5 ebooks.

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Efficient Planet is the runner up for the top pick in alternative energy guides. Their kit includes manuals for building a solar power system and a wind power system.
Each have step by step, fully illustrated plans that you can use to easily construct your own power system. The steps are easy to follow, and easy to understand even if you have never read a bit of information on alternative energy products before. The guides include important information on what to do before starting, so that you can design and build a system for your home that will last for many years to come. The Efficient Planet volumes 1 and 2 offer detailed explanations on how to create a renewable energy source using household tools and readily available materials from the local hardware store. They clearly explain how things work, where best to locate certain items, and the schematics and diagrams are easy to follow.

Volume 3 offers 50 pages of tips and tricks you can incorporate into your daily life to help you save money on your energy bills. This part of the guide will pay for the cost of the package alone.

 

Price $49.97.

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Home Made Energy is another easy to follow guide with instructions for building basic solar and wind generating systems. After using this system some people report reducing their energy bill by more than half and were overall very pleased with the information contained within the book. If you have always wanted to have your own renewable energy source at home but felt they were too eHomemadepowerplantxpensive for you, Homemade Energy Systems is one that has been around for a while and has all the information you need to get your project off the ground.
Depending on the size and location of your house, you will find detailed and step-by-step instructions and diagrams on how to build your own solar or wind powered energy systems.
While it is a decent guide, in my opinion it appears to be a knock off of one of the more popular eBooks called Off Grid Living. In fact the creators of Off Grid Living claim most of the materials were copied from their guides. It is also missing essential details like the exact specifications for the motor/generator required for the wind turbine project. You also get to listen to the annoying virtual sales girl if you visit the site.

Price $47.00.

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freeenergyoptionsFree Energy Options The Free Energy Options Guide contains step-by-step instructions that allows anyone to setup their own renewable energy solution at home for less than $200. Some people report that they have been able to do this with the guide and are very pleased with it. The 2 main generators you will learn how to build are solar and wind powered. There are various configurations available for the different solar and wind powered generator blueprints.
The main drawback with this guide was the windmill plans could have been a bit more detailed concerning the construction of the tower, but a bit of common sense and ingenuity will make up for this. The diagrams and schematics were complete, but I found some of them a bit hard to follow.
Lastly, an email to the site requesting help was never returned leading me to wonder if there is indeed a real person behind all this.

Price $48.95

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earth4Earth4Energy This manual is written with the average consumer in mind and you don’t need to be an engineer to understand the text, pictures and diagrams. Although in my opinion there were not enough diagrams, which I always personally find more helpful than simple text. In addition to actual instructions, the manual will show you how to store your energy with the help of deep cycle batteries. Typically, these batteries can cost as much as $600 each. But, the guide does provide information on how you can obtain them for free. The guide also includes bonus chapters such as: reducing your oil dependency and using Ethanol as an alternative energy source.
Earth4Energy is probably one of the most hyped alternative energy guides on the market. Overall, I found the guide to be a little short on detail, it left a lot to be desired in terms of what I needed to complete my project. They could go into more detail on such things as how to connect the components and more illustrations would be nice.

Price $49.97

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Alternative Energy At Northern Tool