There is a mixed bag of alternative energy books here. Some are DIY how-tos, others are more about what sort of technology was available at the time of writing and still others cover history and theoretical concerns. Some of the books date back to the energy crisis back in the ‘70s (yes, am that old!) but still contain information useful today. Thankfully, due to the internet, these days you can scrape up a book which interests you even if it was published that long ago. I hope my humble list is of assistance.
General
The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook – Godo Stoyk – New Society Publishers (CAN) 2007 ISBN 978 0 86571 569 1 – This book not only covers home energy usage, particularly electricity, but also covers transportation options and touches on water, and household consumption too. It goes through how and why of energy reduction but figures are based around North American consumption. Home design is also covered and green options for heating and cooling are discussed.
The CSIRO Home Energy Saving Handbook – J. Wright, P. Osman & P. Ashworth – Pan Macmillan (AUS) 2009 ISBN 978 1405 039611 – This is a great book, lots of info, drawing and colour photos. It covers the why and how of reducing household energy consumption not only through direct consumption but also though waste, water, transport and buying stuff. Lots of tips and discussion of options that could be for retrofit or new build.
Converting to an Eco-Friendly Home (The Complete Handbook) – Paul Hymers – New Holland Publishers (UK) 2008 ISBN 978 1 84537 406 8 – a small book with lots of line drawings, it reflects the UK experience but still has great retrofit ideas. Chapters cover light, power, heat, shelter, air, waste and water. Good stuff on new technology and some innovative ideas including a good section on siting solar panels. Overall a very good book.
The Big Switch – Gavin Gilchrist – Allen & Unwin (AUS) 1994 ISBN 978 1 86373 750 2 – This is not so much a “how to” as a “why you should” book. It is a good snapshot of the sorts of things that were going on around alternative energy in Australia in the mid-nineties. Unfortunately events have overtaken the book and it is a bit dated. Photovoltaics, solar hot water and wind energy are discussed at some length. There are a few graphs and line drawings to illustrate the text.
Energy Works! – Keith Smith – Nelson Publishers (AUS) 1985 ISBN 0 17 006577 4 – This book was put together by the people who used to bring out Earth Garden Magazine. It is a “how to” book for home power enthusiasts. Lots of good information on developing small scale solar, wind and (more unusually) water power. There are also sections on batteries, inverters and wiring as well as converting 240 volt appliances to low voltage. Lots of black and white photographs and some line drawings.
The Earth Garden Book of Alternative Energy – Alan T. Gray – Thomas C. Lothian Pty Ltd (AUS) 1996 ISBN 978 0 85091 701 7 – This book is also “how to” but also with discussion of available technology. It has 3 sections – “generate”: covering power generation by solar (electric and hot water) wind, micro hydro and steam, based around a power plant by the now defunct Strathsteam Company which was based in South Aus. The second section called “store, regulate, invert” is predicably enough a digest of batteries, inverters and regulators available and their use. The third section, “consume” covers appliances and the energy efficient home. The book has a good mix of line drawings and black and white photos.
Making Your Home Sustainable (a Guide to Retrofitting) – Derek F. Wrigley – Scribe Publications Ltd (AUS) 2005 ISBN 1 920769 49 8 – A retrofitters bible! The book covers solar hot water, improving performance of windows, using wasted sunshine, rationalising electricity consumption, rationalising water usage, making a useful landscape and even some advice for renters. A great book with lots of information with lots of line drawings and black and white photos to illustrate concepts in the text.
Warm House Cool House – Nick Hollo – Choice Books (AUS) 1997 0 947277 22 6 – This is mainly for the new build, although there is some discussion of existing houses, mostly using extensions and additions. The book gives a simple explanation of the principles of low energy housing design and then illustrates these principles with more than 110 examples from around Australia. There a whole stack of floor plans (if that is your bag) which help you work out which of the ideas might work at your place. Lots of line drawings and black and white photos with a colour photo section in the centre of the book.
The Energy Freedom Home – Beyond Zero Emissions – Scribe Publications P/L (AUS) 2015 ISBN 978 1 925106 71 8 – The book helps you work through a series of steps to reduce you household energy consumption including lighting, draught proofing, insulation, windows, appliances and cooking, heating and cooling, hot water, energy monitoring and control and solar power. The last section is about “putting it all together”. Most of the info is about what is on the market but there is a little bit that could be DIY, but because it is a new book it can make you aware of the latest technology out there. Lots of colour photos are used to illustrate the text.
The Mother Earth News Handbook of Homemade Power – Staff of the Mother Earth News (US) 1974 ISBN – This is a small, paperback size book but has over 350 pages of information. It is really a digest of what people were doing at the time (think energy crisis) to provide their own energy systems. The book covers energy produced using wood, water, wind, solar and methane. There is some good basic DIY mixed in with interview with people who were developing their own systems. Lots of line drawings.
Energy Alternatives – Editors of Time-Life Books – Time-Life Books (US) 1982 ISBN 0 8094 3494 6 – This is primarily a DIY book for retrofitters (yay!). It starts off with strategies to make your home more energy efficient including window treatments that save energy and superinsulation, then moves on to various ways of harnessing the suns heat including a trombe wall. The third part of the book examines other energy sources including heat pumps, wood and coal, heat pumps, water and photovoltaics. Some stuff (like furnaces) does not apply here in Aus and be circumspect on some of the electrical and plumbing recommendations but this is a good book. Lots of line drawings are used to illustrate how to carry out the work they recommend.
The Green Technology House & Garden – Michael Harris & Claire Beaumont (Eds) – ATA Publications (AUS) 1993 ISBN 0 646 15196 7 – This is a series of articles around improving the energy performance of your home and garden. Some are a bit light on detail but others would enable you to replicate what they have done. The section on turning a disaster into a low energy house is very good. There are also sections on building and design, greening your garden, getting practical and living with alternatives. Lots of black and white photos and line drawings.
Renewable Energy Resources – John Twidell & Tony Weir – Taylor & Francis (UK) 2006 ISBN 0 419 25330 0 – This is a book for the technically minds, with lots of equations and all you needed to know about the physics of renewable energy. Not one iota of DIY in sight! The book covers everything from fluid dynamics to heat transfer, solar heating and photovoltaics, hydro and wind power even biomass, wave and tidal power. Over 500 pages of technical good stuff with the odd black and white photo and line drawing thrown in.
