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The Mother Earth News Handbook of Homemade Power

Overall Rating:

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Homemade Energy – a guide written by Bill Ford, a scientist, researcher and energy consultant – claims that it can show you how to build your own working home solar and wind power generators, even if you have never picked up a tool in your life before. So does it really work? And are the instructions as easy to follow as they claim to be? We put bought it, put it to the test and saw how it compared to Earth4Energy.

Likes

1 – It was an enjoyable experience:

The plans for the home wind turbine were really easy to follow. They were detailed enough and laid out intuitively. This made a fun project to complete with few glitches along the way. What’s more is the end result was that we had a professional looking wind turbine that really worked.

2 – Cheapest option

Well, Home Made Energy is only about $2 cheaper than its rivals, but with the economy currently in crisis, every dollar helps.

3 – Written for the layman:

It was very apparent to us that Bill Ford wanted to produce a guide that anyone could follow, since it was so easy to understand. Thought we did have a small problem with the diagrams, we still ended up with a working wind turbine.

Dislikes

1 – Rather short

At only 43 pages long, we found the guide a little short. Yes, it may have been to the point, without being filled with random information, but we would rather have spent the extra $2 on one of the other guides, and received more facts and advice.

2 – Needs to be revised:

This may not be the case with other readers, but we found the solar power plans rather confusing to follow at times. The diagrams did not flow well with the instructions, so we had to contact Bill on numerous occasions for support. We must admit that his response was very good and helpful, but it would be better if he simply updated the guide. What good are free lifetime updates, if we never really get any?

Conclusion:

Homemade Energy is by and large a an energy guide for beginners, that have the patience to learn while doing, which is vital for any diy plans. However, Bill needs to keep up to date with his competitors, such as Earth4Energy and Efficient Planet, and offer more value for his customers. This includes updating his solar power plans, and perhaps offering video instruction too.

Tim McDonald has been making his own home wind turbine and solar power since June 2008. If you are serious about making your own power, reducing your electricity bill and becoming more energy conscious, then he recommends you get the Earth4Energy Sneak Peek – before buying any energy guide.