*** VIDEO SERIES INCLUDED WITH BOOK *** "From an authoritative source, this book provides both information and inspiration for how to make your home part of the solution to our great climate crisis. It will get you thinking - and then get you moving ahead!" -Bill McKibben, Author of The End of Nature If you spend more than $500 a year for utilities then this book is for you! Follow the design and building of four Net Zero homes, learn and understand the simple principles they use to make their houses so comfortable and affordable. About the Author: "Wes is very enthusiastic and passionate about his work. Together, with his dedication to energy efficient building practices and his understanding of the practical obstacles builders face result in a better product for consumers in New Hampshire." AN - NH Public Utilities Commission "His insight into the complex issues associated with the entire energy field is an extreme asset to the task at hand. He approaches everything with a respect for the history of how the energy field has evolved and with measured reflection of the future." TG - Lakes Region Community College "Wes has a knack for making complex material easy for us non-science people to understand" Student - LRCC What Homeowners are saying about their net-zero homes: "The most comfortable house I have ever lived in. It Is comfortable year round." MM - Newmarket, NH "I haven't had a sinus headache since I moved in." RH - Canterbury, NH "My wife used to have six asthma attacks a year. She hasn't had any in the two and a half years we've lived here." JB - Barrington, NH "We've spent under $1500 for utilities in the past two years and got more than $600 back from renewable energy credits." KH - Canterbury, NH Whether you own your own home or are thinking of building or renovating, this book and video series is packed with practical ideas for you that work. TheEnergyGeek.org

This book does more than just explain the benefits of low-energy dwellings (lower power bills and more comfortable surroundings) and how average Australians can achieve them. It inspires and encourages the reader with examples of beautiful and comfortable homes that are energy-efficient and immensely livable. Illustrated throughout with photos, sketches and plans (including a colour section), all the examples are Australian from all our different climatic zones.

‘Warm House Cool House simplifies the science behind low-energy housing design... and suggests inspiring and achievable ways to apply energy-efficient methods to new and existing homes.’ - Jamie Durie We all want to minimise our environmental impact, but we don’t always know how. In this new edition of the bestselling Warm House Cool House, respected Australian architect Nick Hollo provides valuable advice, illustrated by more than 100 inspiring contemporary examples of low-energy housing design, to help keep our homes cool in summer and warm in winter with little or no cooling and heating by appliances. The book shows how we can live comfortably without airconditioning in Far North Queensland, be cosy and bushfire-proof in the Australian Alps, and cope with temperature fluctuations in cities like Melbourne and Adelaide. From project and kit homes to new architect-designed houses, renovations and extensions, these low-energy principles can easily be incorporated into every home. Whether you are planning to renovate, build or buy, this book offers clever ideas on how to make any house, anywhere, an environmentally sustainable, comfortable and attractive place to live in, all year round, while keeping electricity, gas and water bills comfortably low.

Cool Homes in Hot Places showcases real homes from the hottest territories around the world. Featuring a wide variety of environments and styles—from wilderness to hillside, from waterside to woodside, and from cultivated to streetside—this book shows how careful decisions around layout, materials, color, and furniture can create elegant yet functional and comfortable spaces in even the world's hottest climates. By designing each home holistically and taking into consideration all of the factors that impact the site—the occupants, region, climate, terrain, culture, and resources—Cool Homes in Hot Places will show any architect, interior designer, or homeowner the key to staying cool in any warm climate.

While heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Yet "natural conditioning"--Heating and cooling with passive solar techniques -- is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, the author highlights certain egregious errors and shows how to avoid them. The author shows how to select a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly backup heating system; how to preserve indoor air quality in an airtight, energy-efficient home; and ways of employing green building materials in a naturally conditioned home.