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If you live near a river or stream, Microhydro, a MOTHER EARTH NEWS Book for Wiser Living, explains everything you need to know to produce electricity for your home. This book outlines the basic requirements and approximate costs of home-scale hydroelectric systems that let you create clean, off-grid independent power.

Hydroelectricity is the world's largest — and cleanest — source of renewable energy. But despite lively interest in renewables generally, there is an information vacuum about the smallest version of the technology dubbed "the simplest, most reliable and least expensive way to generate power off grid."

Highly illustrated and practical, Microhydro is the first complete book on the topic in a decade. Covering both AC and DC systems, it covers principles, design and site considerations, equipment options, and legal, environmental and economic factors.

About the Author

Scott Davis has decades of experience operating, installing, designing, selling and teaching about microhydro technology. An award-winner in the field, he currently works as a system designer and retailer with an alternative energy company for whom he has authored an on-line microhydro course.

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Learn how to get the most bang for your energy buck. The Home Energy Diet, a MOTHER EARTH NEWS Book for Wiser Living, was designed to help readers take control of their personal energy usage and costs so they can save money, live more comfortably and help reduce environmental impacts. 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 through electricity, hot water, heating and air conditioning, and 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.

About the author:

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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This new book confronts the ecological and cultural problems associated with the way we acquire and use energy. It also explains how it is possible to live in a beautifully designed home using much less energy — anywhere in the world.

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Fossil fuels—oil, coal, and natural gas—make up 90 percent of the world’s energy sources. They provoke wars, make us ill, and endanger the planet. They’re running out—and, in case you haven’t noticed, they cost a lot these days. Have you ever felt like declaring your independence? Can the average homeowner begin to move away from traditional energy sources without pulling out of society? The answer is Yes! A revolution is afoot and it’s happening quietly in homes across America and beyond.

Energy Independence is the essential guide to the most viable and affordable alternative energy solutions—solar panels, wind generators, hydrogen fuel cells, wood, hydroelectric, geothermal heat pumps, and more. Whether you want to supplement your traditional fuel-burning furnace or revamp your home, this book has what you need to get started. You’ll learn about the most advanced options that have become available to the consumer as well as tried-and-true energy conservation techniques. You’ll learn the cost of each method, and how quickly you will recoup any investment.

Energy Independence is for anyone—urbanite, suburbanite, or rural dweller—who relies on traditional oil-burning sources but has decided that it’s high time to be proactive about cutting fuel costs and achieving freedom from fossil fuel dependence.

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Whether you are just curious about renewable energy or an industry expert, this 560 page book will show you how to stretch your energy dollars while powering your home with clean, dependable renewable energy. And, unlike fossil fuels or nuclear energy, renewable energy won't dump today's pollution on the children of tomorrow.

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This 432-page book shows homeowners that using less energy or adopting renewable energy technologies is not about making drastic lifestyle sacrifices, nor is it always expensive. Energy efficiency can improve your life by lowering operating costs, creating a more comfortable environment and increasing disposable income.

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Global warming is for real and getting worse faster than previously expected. This 299-page book provides a clear-eyed view of the current energy situation and points to a sustainable path. Author Greg Pahl examines renewable energy technologies currently available and hones in on strategies that can be adopted by individuals and, especially, communities. Such cooperative initiatives have been common in Europe for years and are beginning to gain a foothold in the U.S. because these medium-scale projects successfully bring people together to create collective energy security for a neighborhood, town, or region while strengthening the local economy.

Each chapter focuses on a different renewable energy sector — solar, wind, water, biomass, liquid biofuels, and geothermal — then reviews their advantages and disadvantages and describes numerous examples of proven local initiatives. The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook is both an eloquent appeal and a practical handbook for community and regional activists to tackle environmental challenges head-on and take responsibility for energy supplies currently controlled by large, distant utilities and consortiums. This is the book for anyone ready to take meaningful steps toward a more sustainable future.

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In a tight economy, this book offers clear financial benefits by helping homeowners immediately cut their utility bills. Many of these smaller home improvements require only a modest investment. Gives readers an edge when they sell their homes buyers are especially looking for energy-efficiency, but they're also tuned into green health and environmental concerns.

The book's projects include quick and easy, low- or no-cost tasks like insulating a water heater, sealing foundation cracks, or painting with insulating paint to bigger-ticket items such as installing a new energy-efficient heating system, windows, or green flooring. The more than 65 Go Green tips highlighted throughout the book give readers ideas to make their homes and lifestyles greener.

Projects include:

• Green flooring & paint options
• Environmentally friendly cabinetry & countertops
• Whole-house insulation & weather-stripping
• High-efficiency heating & cooling
• Water conservation
• Efficient lighting, appliances & plumbing fixtures including Energy Star and WaterSense models
• Solar electric and water heating systems
• Eco-friendly roofing & siding
• Energy-efficient windows, doors & skylights
• Green materials for patios, walkways & driveways
• Landscaping & irrigation for water conservation and energy