So What's So Good About Earth4Energy?

I guess the starting point is that using traditional,grid type energy is becoming expensive. This really hits home when you open your quarterly or monthly utility bills. And this upward inflation of utility bills will not go away. The reality is that it will only go up in the future. So people are looking for alternatives that are cheaper. Add this to a growing awareness of the environmental damage that humanity may be causing to the planet and it seems that people are beginning to take action.

A good way to take action is to use renewable energy systems for your home's power needs. Renewable energy has a couple of advantages. It does less damage to the environment than burning fossil fuels. And given that it is plentiful and sustainable, it's price is unlikely to rise in the future (in fact, as technology improves to harness renewable energy, it's costs can only get cheaper).

So the Earth4Energy guide is about creating 2 renewable energy systems for your home. To this extent I think it is quite good. It explains exactly how to build these systems, including sourcing the parts and how much they will cost. It also includes clear diagrams, photographs and instructions on how to put them together. It lists some of the criteria that make the systems viable.

But this is not the reason why I think this is a good manual for many people. No, I believe it is useful because it shows you how to install these systems for a fraction of the cost of a professionally designed and installed system. It takes the risk out of getting into renewable energy.

Cost has often been the stumbling block for many people that may be considering installing such a system. A professionally installed system could cost anything from $5000 to $20000. This obviously rules many people out and makes those that can afford this type of investment think twice before making a decision.

It also means that even though you will save on energy bills with such a system, it will take a number of years to get the initial investment back from these savings.

In the case of the systems you will be creating based on the Earth4Energy manual, the cost is small enough that you will have made the initial investment back within a couple of months (6 months maximum). After that, all the energy you create will supplement your energy needs and help to reduce your energy bills.

So there is less financial risk involved even if these systems may not have the capacity of the professional alternatives.

So basically this guide is valuable because it makes renewable energy systems in the home accessible and achievable to even the most cash strapped homeowner. This can not only help the individual, but can help everyone collectively, as environmental issues become more of an issue.

Get more information on the Earth4Energy manual at http://www.solarpowerappliances.com - The site has a good review of the manual and many other issues related to solar power and renewable energy.

Walkways Books