How To Build A Garden Shed

We recently decided to do some woodworking projects around the house. At the top of my list was building a couple sheds. The first was a garden shed because piling the tools up was getting kind of messy and I wanted a place to put the tiller and the mower. Read more »

Build Electric Car

Do I have a story to tell you! 15 years ago, my wife and I bought some land and built our own house on it. We then made it a goal to power our new home with alternative energy. First, we figured out how to build solar panels and then we moved on to wind generators. We needed lots of batteries, of course, to store all this free energy we were producing but we couldn't afford brand new ones. So we had to get a little creative. Read more »

DIY Renewable Energy In 2010

It's hard to believe the leaps and bounds DIY renewable energy has taken in the past few years. First, renewable energy (and conservation) is starting to become more mainstream. The price of building your own renewable energy systems has dropped dramatically since 2007. Read more »

Todd and Aubra's Journey #2

Wow, the interest for following step-by-step how to go green has been overwhelming. If I don't respond to your emails it's just simply because I'm behind in answering. Here's the latest update from Todd. Read more »

Power Requirement Calculator

One of the more difficult things to do is figure out exactly how much power your home uses. You need to know this in order to buy the right size inverter. This tool will help give you a good estimate of how much power your home uses. Read more »

Todd and Aubra's Journey #1

One of the greatest things to hear is that you've helped somebody achieve something. One of our newsletter subscribers has decided to take the plunge to off grid living and is going to be sharing his experiences with us. For those who are hesitant of changing to renewable energy this will be a step-by-step guide to doing so.

I'd like to introduce Todd and Aubra M. from Herriman, Utah. Here's what they plan to accomplish starting in 2010:

Read more »

Plug And Play Solar Panels

I haven't heard about anything quite as exciting as plug and play solar panels in quite a long time. The last time we heard about renewable energy that just 'plugs in' was the Jellyfish wind turbine. Sadly, it still isn't availabe yet (to my knowledge), but these new solar panels are!

A company called Andalay developed a solar panel that you can quite literally plug in to your home and be running a grid-tied system. There are no inverters, no expensive wiring, and they say that there are 70% less rooftop parts used in the assembly. Read more »

Solar Christmas Lights

One of the greatest Christmas 'inventions' has been the LED string of Christmas lights. They look and perform exactly the same as a regular strand of Christmas lights, but they use about 2 watts worth of electricity. Read more »

What 'Green' Solution Is Right For You?

 Figuring out what type of renewable energy you want to use, or if you want to be grid-tied or off grid can be very challenging. We're going to explore the different options you have available and try and help you choose what's right for you. Read more »

Winter Energy Savings

 With the recent arrival of snow and temperatures below zero it's time to make sure your house is as efficient as it can be so you can save money. There are several inexpensive and easy ways you can save money on energy this winter. Let's take a look... Read more »