Heating and cooling represent significant energy loads around the world, with the associated high level of carbon emissions. Many countries have commitments in place to derive an increasing proportion of the energy they use for heating and cooling from renewable sources; some are seeing greater success than others in moving towards these targets. This best practices handbook from the International Energy Agency's Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (RETD) Implementing Agreement provides energy policymakers and professionals in the renewable energy industry with a practical, easy to use guide and toolkit to the most effective policy options for deploying renewable energy for heating and cooling in the residential sector. The book opens with a comparative review of renewable energy for heating and cooling policies in a broad range of IEA member countries in Europe, Asia and North America and then goes on to present the policy approaches of the individual countries and more detailed studies of specific programmes. The second part of the book presents readers with flowcharts which allow them to navigate directly to the best practices which are most relevant to their situation. Planning, design and implementation are all covered, each with examination of the possible barriers that may be faced and the most appropriate policy response used to date. pUlished with IEA-RETD.

First Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As fossil fuel supplies dwindle, home heating will be one of the major challenges in temperate and cold climates in upcoming years. The reserves of natural gas used to heat the majority of North American buildings are rapidly being depleted. This latest Green Energy Guide helps readers who want to slash their energy bills and reduce their dependence on scarce resources to navigate the sometimes confusing maze of clean, reliable, and affordable options. Solar Home Heating Basics focuses on renewable energy strategies to heat new and existing homes and small businesses. These include: *Energy efficiency, weatherization, and insulation *Solar hot air heating *Solar thermal systems *Passive solar heating *Backup heating systems While most solar home heating resources are geared primarily towards new buildings, this practical guide addresses ways of retrofitting existing buildings, making solar a reality for many people. Packed with all the essential information home and small business owners need to find alternatives to conventional heating solutions, Solar Home Heating Basics is your key to a personal energy solution. Dan Chiras is a respected educator and the author of thirty books on residential renewable energy and green building, including The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy and Power from the Sun. Dan is the director and lead instructor at the Evergreen Institute's Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building, where he teaches workshops on energy efficiency, solar electricity, solar hot water, small wind energy, green building, natural plasters, and natural building.

Whether you are preparing for a career in the building trades or are already a professional contractor, this practical book will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to merge renewable heat sources (such as solar thermal collectors, hydronic heat pumps, and wood-fired boilers) with the latest hydronics hardware and low temperature distribution systems to assemble efficient and reliable heating systems. Easy to understand and packed with full color illustrations that provide detailed piping and control schematics and how to information you'll use on every renewable energy system, this one-of-a-kind book will help you diversify your expertise over a wide range of heat sources. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

An essential how-to on powering your home with sun, wind, water, and more. For readers wanting to save money-and the planet-by using alternative energy, this book provides everything they need to know. The five basic sources are fully covered: sun, wind, water, earth, and bio. The benefits, what is needed, and whether it will work for a particular home are all carefully laid out in this comprehensive overview: ? Solar energy for home heating, water heating, and electricity ? Wind power, hydrogen, and micro hydro power ? Heat pumps-air, geothermal, and water source ? Heating with wood and going bio