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Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2024
So apparently this guy bought a passive solar house, sold it, and made a second one with his lessons learned. There's some pretty good information in here, really.
M. Hanief Edwards
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
Prompt shipment
wanaz
Reviewed in Japan on June 11, 2018
I am sorry, i need to give 4 star for this book. It is a great book. It has useful information how to design house with energy efficient. But, i already ordered this book since may. And taking so long until today just arrive.
Maya Man
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2016
I learned so much from this book when I was designing my house in VT that I was able to design a super energy efficient passive solar heated house in northern VT that uses less heat than the similar sized house in suburban Boston, MA that I previously lived. If you're looking to design and build a new house or retro fit an existing one in a cost effective manner which will let you save a lot of money this book can teach you a lot of what you need to know and is well worth the cost
Leigh Cassidy
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2015
Excellent data and modern references. Good easy to understand descriptions.
bm
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2014
Very basic. I was hoping for more technical details. Still very informative introduction for those considering going solar.
rowan smith
Reviewed in Australia on July 26, 2014
Brilliant book , as a builder of 35 years I had to unlearn bad practices and start again. Thank you.
mary leskiw
Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2014
Who needs to be a slave to the power companies when you can power your own home to the ways you see fit! Thank you!
Kevin McCormick
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013
I bought this book thinking it would provide more than a brief and fluffy survey of this popular topic. However, the book is really lacking in detail and rigor. You will not find a detailed analysis of any design, but there are general descriptions and comments about several concepts. The author rambles, the diagrams are simplistic, the tables incomplete, and the analysis is shallow. I was particularly interested in passive cooling in hot climates and this subject was covered, but not in useful detail. Basically the author surveys common techniques and makes a few comments. The implication is that there is little actual knowledge on the subject of passive cooling of houses, but several attractive ideas that may have potential. You may learn something from this book and avoid some basic pitfalls, but it is only a general introduction and not actually very useful.
Stardune
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2013
It is obvious the author is quite the expert and the book is well written. I am very interested in the topic and thought I'd consume this book in a weekend. Over a month later I am only 1/2-way through the book, I would rate it higher except it has sooo many details about basic construction and materials that I loose interest. I am a woman and homeowner and by no means an expert, yet am finding the book tedious with basic, non-solar details.
Lance B. Sjogren
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2010
About the only fault I can find with this book is that the title doesn't quite match the content. But that's a good thing.Rather than being a guide to passive solar home design, it is instead really a comprehensive guide to energy efficient home design, with passive solar techniques being one of the topics covered.Some of the topics covered in this book include:1). Building techniques for energy efficiency, with an extensive coverage of insulation materials and techniques, including insulation of foundations and slabs.2). Backup (to solar) heating and cooling including discussion of the geothermal heat pump, a technique that provides considerably better energy efficiency than the conventional heat pump, and one that can be used in colder climates where conventional heat pumps are not viable.3). A consideration of health issues associated with all the design alternatives, including such matters as air quality/ventilation techniques, and environmental issues associated with various construction materials such as the different types of insulation.I recently bought another book that was explicitly on the topic of energy efficient home design, but this one covers the subject with more thorough and useful information.I also appreciate that there was little mention of photovoltaics, although the author indicates he does have solar panels in his own home, I interpret his lack of coverage of this technology in the book an indication that he has correctly recognized that they do not make economic or environmental sense at the present time nor in the forseeable future.
Jaynee
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2007
My copy of this book is a mess. It has highlighting and notes all throughout the pages and looks well worn even though I've only had the book for a year.When the time came to do some studying on solar design, this was the book that was recommended to me. And for good reason - it packs a wallop and provides SO MUCH great information in its pages. At the time I got the book I was somewhat of a novice to solar building and was concerned that the book would have too much jargon or concepts that I didn't understand, but Chiras does such a great job explaining everything in layman's terms that by the time I finished the book I felt like an expert myself.I HIGHLY recommend this to ANYone looking to building solar/green. I consider it the best of the bunch.
R. McKown
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2007
Everyone I talked to stated this as the first book someone should read to come up to speed on passive solar designs. And it is a good overview. But only an overview, providing lots of concept and a few "rules of thumb" only. Taken for what it is, this is a very good introduction to passive solar concepts. You'll have to look elsewhere for more detailed information if you plan to participate in the design phase of a passive solar building, or to learn enough to evaluate another's design. There are a few good references in the book to other materials as well.
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