The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living

Price: $29.95 - $21.61
(as of Sep 25, 2026 05:38:28 UTC – Details)

As oil prices continue to rise, many people are starting to think about how to unhook from the electricity grid. The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses completely on off-grid, sustainable living and rural energy independence.

Author/engineer William H. Kemp, who is a leading expert in small- and mid-scale renewable energy technologies, designed and built his own off-grid home. The result is a house that has all the standard “middle-class” creature comforts while using less than five times the total fossil-fuel energy of the average North American house.

The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses on the unique requirements of off-grid living and contains chapters on energy conservation; heating and cooling; backup power; domestic water heating; wireless communications; photovoltaic, wind, and microhydro energy generation; battery selection; and inverters.

Since its release in 2003, The Renewable Energy Handbook has been a top-selling technology book and is recognized as the best book in its field.

The book is augmented with hundreds of illustrations, line drawings, photographs, and appendices.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aztext Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2006
Edition ‏ : ‎ Edition Unstated
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 592 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0973323329
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0973323320
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #99 in Solar Energy #117 in Energy Efficient Remodeling & Renovation #706 in Environmental Economics (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (108) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find the renewable energy handbook informative, with detailed explanations of varied methods, and one customer notes the inclusion of diagrams, examples, and photos. Moreover, the book is easy to read and customers find it useful, with one mentioning it offers great ideas for even small changes. However, the content receives mixed reactions, with some customers recommending it while others find it preachy.