The New Independent Home: People and Houses That Harvest the Sun (Real Goods Solar Living Books)

writing, after installing our new energy star washer we noticed that we could wash clothes even during cloudy days. Not exactly a comment that would relate to the 90% of the masses.

I thought this book would cover all sorts of homes, but instead the well versed marketing tricked me into believing that.

No where did it cover a relatively normal house, builder etc, that incorporated the inxpensive changes necessary for a home to be more energy efficient, nor cover what appliances, were good or bad to avoid. It was a buy a plot of land in nowhereville, 'sell' part of it to other earthies, and build a straw or dirt filled tire house.

Um, where's the information about manufactured homes that come super-insulated with low power appliances, and PV from the factory for the other 90%.

If you want to see the types of people that are the ones that the congress, senate, DOE, and EPA see as pro-independent, it's no wonder there's little public knowledge of solar, wind and water power.

As for the pro-nuke guy, if my first exposure was this book, I'd be as short-sighted as him, the solar and wind CAN make a difference, but it's gotta be for the masses.


Alternative energy or Nuclear?   February 8, 2001
Berkay Unlukoc (Ankara Turkey)
19 out of 78 found this review helpful

Being an architect I am really concerned with sustainable living and green design. Once upon a time I was thinking that alternative energy sources would be the future of the energy sector, but as I read and read about these kind of energy sources lots of question marks appeared in my mind. As I deepened my studies about the subject I came to a conclusion that hoping to achieve our energy from sun, wind etc. is a very romantic idea (I am not against romanticism) and it is not very realistic. Now I know that THE CLEANEST AND CHEAPEST SOURCE OF ENERGY IS NUCLEAR ENERGY. This book tells stories of ordinary people who tried to achieve enough energy from sun, wind etc. for their daily use, with too much effort which I really appreciate. But just baking a cake in an oven or any other simple daily event musn't require that kind of effort and money. I thank to this book for awakening me about nuclear energy by showing the other side of the coin. Anyway if you are living off-the-grid and really really want to use PV's or wind mills to turn your TV on this book may help by telling how others succeeded(?) to do that.


Excellent book on independent, sustainable living!   April 4, 2000
Geoff Allsup (New England, USA)
70 out of 71 found this review helpful

"The New Independent Home" is a cornucopia of good information and thought provoking discussion. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I found myself (currently in the throws of re-evaluating where and how my family and I live) unable to put this book down. The author covers not just the technology of independent homes; there is extensive discussion of the whole sustainable living philosophy of independent home dwellers. The numerous interviews with folks actually living in these homes, many of them off-the-grid even when that is not a necessity, add a very real dimension to the author's presentation. This is not just some "chuck it all - back to the land" book either; the info (and interviews) cover the spectrum of not only remote living but also the quite urban; the thoughts, ideas, and technology here are applicable to all situations. And community building is an important part of sustainability; none of the independent homeowners presented here are hermits. There is a real sense of their place in their communities, both the local one, and the wider community of like-minded folks wherever they may live. For someone thinking about their place in our crazy world and how to move toward a sustainable, ecological, sane way of living, this is the best book I've found. Buy this book! Read it!