Going Natural
Written: Mar 30 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Useful information, in a nice package.
Cons: I'm not sure these are really "case studies" as much as just examples.
The Bottom Line: Decent informative book on creating your own home energy.
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| pambo's Full Review: Lori Ryker - Off the Grid Homes: Case Studies for ... |
Not a how-to book and not just a collection of pretty pictures, “Off the Grid Homes: Case Studies for Sustainable Living” nonetheless makes a good argument for smarter living.
Architect Lori Ryker has followed up her book, “Off the Grid: Modern Homes and Alternative Energy” by seeking out and explaining how some homes have achieved energy efficiency.
The term “off the grid” usually refers to living without the help of the local utility company, disconnected from its system of wires and bills. It used to refer to somewhat isolated homes, sometimes populated by pretty eccentric people who wanted little or nothing to do with the rest of society. I know because I’d accidentally gotten onto a mailing list of survivalist types who were busy storing up bulk loads of legumes, flour, water canisters and guns for the coming war against who knows what and were busy disconnecting themselves from the municipal power supply.
And the photo on the cover lends itself to that continuing perception, showing a home stuck out somewhere on a prairie, with no people in sight. However, the home could just as easily be in an incomplete subdivision somewhere because the concept of going off the grid has changed.
Someone who is ready to go off the grid won’t learn a whole lot from this book, which is a curious mix of home-style language and deeper technology discussion. But for those exploring the possibilities, this book can spark some thinking.
She starts with a common pitch: a reminder that we’re wasting resources, that fossil fuels will someday run out and that we can head off problems by going the natural route as much as possible.
She then moves on to six houses to demonstrate how to handle six main ideas: water collection and gray water reuse; photovoltaic systems; wind turbine systems; solar hot-water systems; geothermal systems.
Gray water refers to the waste water generated by such activities as washing clothes, dishes and bathing and many environmentalists are trying ways to recapture that water for further use. The house she shows us is a guesthouse on Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia. Its remoteness means that utilities are not easily connected and that sustainability is a particularly good idea. We get blueprints and many photos of the environmental elements of this house, with an explanation of materials needed, illustration of irrigation system and an explanation of wall insulation.
Other homes detailed in this book are a 4,200-room home in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, Wash., using photovoltaics; a home and studio in rural Livingston, Mont.,relying on wind turbines; a Venice, Calif., home using solar-heated water; and a home in Manhattan, Mont., using geothermal heat.
People interested in natural systems will find this book useful. It had a lot of basic information presented in a rather artistic fashion. It won’t show you how to install a solar heating system perhaps but it might prevent you from making mistakes and will help you think through a plan before starting it. It’s a perfectly good book as far as it goes.
This is one of several environment-related books that have appeared in the last year. As Earth Day approaches, we can expect to see more. I’m hoping to review what looks like the best among them, “American Earth” by tomorrow. It’s magnificent.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Pam
Location: Long Island
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