Our local library just got in a shipment of book from Real Goods so i grabbed them for a quick look. The Passive Solar House by: James Kachadorian 1997 A book from Real Goods book with interesting ideas. One chapter talks about storing heat in a concrete floor poured over blocks. Another section talks about heating the house using the water heater. The houses described all use standard construction with adjustments to collect and store solar heat. An interesting book. ---- The Real Goods Independent Builder by: Sam Clark 1996 The intent of this book to help with the building of a sustainable home. Sustainable building is defined as: An ideal sustainable building is one that sits lightly on the land, requires little fuel to heat, operates on little or no outside electricity, and is healthy to live in. The majority of the material is for standard (code) construction using lumber (stick construction). The book touches on pattern language and a few other non-standard topics, but most of the material isn't new. A good book for first time builders. ---- Mini Hydropower by Tong Jiandong, et. all A book for small villages. An individual installing a hydro system should look elsewhere. ---- Renewables Are Ready by Nancy cole and P.J. Skerrett pub 1995 available from Real Goods A book for communities and policy activists. Very little of interest for hands on installers or builders.
