Ready to tap into clean, affordable, renewable energy sources to heat and cool your home? The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, by Dan Chiras, will tell you how. Throughout the book, Chiras focuses on specific renewable energy strategies needed to replace specific fuels, and examines practical energy options available to homeowners, including solar electricity, solar hot water systems, wind-generated electricity, passive solar design, passive cooling, wood heat and emerging technologies such as micro-hydro systems, fuel cells and hydrogen energy.

The author presents detailed information without becoming too technical, and uses numerous photos and diagrams to illustrate the renewable energy resources he discusses. Overall, the book is designed to give homeowners the knowledge they need to hire and communicate effectively with contractors and installers. Here’s an excerpt:

“I run my entire house almost 100 percent off renewable energy — sunlight, wind and firewood — with only a small amount of natural gas for heating water and cooking meals. You can live independently too. Energy independence is almost always more easily attained by those building anew than when retrofitting a home for self-sufficiency. But like many readers you probably don’t have the luxury of starting from scratch. Don’t be discouraged, however. You can easily cut your energy demand by half, perhaps even more, with some simple, cost-effective measures that improve the energy efficiency of your home.” (New Society Publishers; $27.95)

As part of its Book of the Month and Reading List program, Smart HomeOwner is giving away five copies of Dan Chiras’ book. To enter your name in this month’s drawing, view details about other books and discuss books you’ve read and would like to share with other readers, visit www.smart-homeowner.com/readinglist.