Off the Grid Homes: Case Studies for Sustainable Living, by Lori Ryker

A look at six contemporary architectural projects that integrate alternative technologies for generating and conserving energy, this book also contains diagrams and clear explanations of resource independence and their appropriate applications

Being off the grid can refer to many different aspects of energy and resource independence, from rainwater collection, to photovoltaic (PV) systems, to gray-water systems and more. Diagrams and clear explanations of technologies and their appropriate applications are provided alongside the case studies that explain just how the technologies work and how they may best be applied to each individual situation.

Facts about living Off the Grid: More than 180,000 American homeowners live off the grid; each year the national number grows by about 33 percent. Most states offer tax breaks and financial incentives for people who live off the grid. A recent study found that after 15 years, an increase in America's alternative-energy investment would create almost 150,000 jobs, increase wages nearly $7 billion, reduce carbon-dioxide emissions roughly 30 percent and save close to $30 billion in electric and gas bills.