Interested in Alternative Energy Sources for Your Home? Here are Some Excellent Online Resources
What types of alternative energy sources are available for use in your home? Well, Fibrowatt built the world’s first power station which generates electricity by using poultry poop as a fuel! Fortunately, other alternative energy sources are out there! Here’s a collection of the top online resources for alternative energy ideas for the home:
Alternative Heating Methods for the 21st century This is an information clearinghouse dedicated to sustainable heating methods, including solar house designs, low emission stoves, and geothermal systems. The website features over 300 useful web pages. Here’s one of many informative articles, called Alternative Heating Fuel, How to Choose the Right One for You.
SolarPower.org Interested in creating your own home solar system? Then check out this website.
Cost of Solar Interested in having a home solar system installed? Check out this website.
Find Solar Solar heating systems allow you to harness energy from the sun in a practical and cost effective way. An effective system collects up to 70 percent of the sun’s energy that reaches it and transfers it to you. The website explains how the systems work and offers tips for installing solar hot water systems.
Solar Action Alliance: Educate and providing visitors with opportunities to get involved with solar. This includes a petition, a blog full of informative articles, location-specific solar infographics, and much more!
Home Power Magazine If you size your system correctly, a solar hot water system is one of the most cost-effective renewable energy technologies. Learn how to size it here.
Maine Solar House The owners of this house have been harvesting the sun since the mid-90’s. Learn from people who have actually live in a sun-powered house! Learn about solar electricity, solar design, solar heat, and solar power backup.
Solar Power Financing Options If you’re interested in a solar power system for your home, FHA and VA energy efficient mortgages are available. Home loans are also provided by Fannie Mae and by the EPA through its ENERGY STAR program. Home loans are available for solar photovoltaic electricity systems and solar water and space heating systems.
U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide The Green Home Guide offers a wealth of great information. Check out the Popular Searches section. Also, the website helps you find green home professionals in your area.
U.S. Department of Energy This site provides extensive information about renewable energy sources, including a collection of informative videos. If you’re interested in wind power, find out if a small wind energy system is practical for powering your home.
ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR guides people in making energy efficient choices. It’s a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. ENERGY STAR focuses on helping people protect the environment and save money through energy efficient practices and products.
Energy efficient choices can save families approximately a third of their energy bills without sacrificing style, features, or comfort. The website covers energy efficient products and home improvement ideas and also helps people find an ENERGY STAR builder for a new home.
U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Visitors have access to an extensive amount of information. Some of the topics covered include energy efficiency for homes, buildings, and vehicles.
Exploring Ways to Use Biomass Energy This informative web page is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. Biomass is utilized to generate electricity, develop bio-based products, and fuel vehicles. Energy comes from sources such as wood, garbage, waste, landfill gasses, and alcohol fuels.
More commonly, biomass used for energy production comes from plant matter grown specifically for that purpose. Have any miscantus growing in your backyard? Learn about heating your home with wood or bio-based pellets.
Energy Savers Check out this site to find out about using a geothermal heat pump for your home.
The website’s Designing & Remodeling section covers the following topics:
- Cool Roofs
- Passive Solar
- Ultra-Efficient Homes
- Whole House Design
- Manufactured Homes
- Log Homes
- Earth-Sheltered Homes
Database of State Incentives for Renawables & Efficiency This is a comprehensive source of information on local, state, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. It’s funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that ground source heat pumps are the most environmentally clean, energy efficient, and cost effective space conditioning systems available.
Help the environment, and save money in the long run, by using alternative energy in your home!
[Brian Jenkins writes about careers in environmental science, among other job and career topics, for BrainTrack.com.]
Image: Jeremy Levine Design at Flickr
By using different kinds of alternative energy sources you’ll also be able to save money being that the required equipment is becoming more available (the one that makes things work!), revolutionizing the way we use energy!