Warning: Do not waste your money on any D.I.Y. home energy guides until you read this message!
When we searched for solar or wind power kits on the Internet, we discovered that there were numerous D.I.Y. home energy “kits” available online. We decided to purchase and review different guides, both for our own personal use and for the use of our friends and neighbors. We have compiled our findings here, to share with you, the general public. We tried as many of the guides as we could find, especially those that offered a 100% guarantee. We figured that if what they had to tell us did not work, then we would just get our money back!
We set our review criteria based on what mattered to us the most: how easy it was to use the guide, quality and price of the materials, overall reduction in energy consumption and related costs, and how quickly we could complete the projects.
Out of 14 different do-it-yourself home energy guides, three met our criteria, while one seemed to stand out above and beyond all the rest. These three showed us a measurable amount of energy savings, 50% or more. They were easy to install, with simple instructions and simple tool use such as hand-held screw drivers. The price to set these up were less than $200, with the largest portion of the cost from the purchase of necessary materials.
Here are the three products that we recommend, but please don’t take our word for it. Try it for yourself, and if you are not pleased, they will give you back your money! If you are thinking about trying out one of these guides, we advise you to set aside a day or two (such as the weekend) to purchase the materials and put the projects together.
#1 Earth4Energy
Among 14 different home energy guides, Earth4Energy was the easiest to follow, easiest to comprehend, and provided the best energy savings overall. The guide assumes that you know nothing at all about solar or wind power generators. It takes you by the hand, providing a step-by-step fully illustrated instructions manual that can easily be used as a fun family weekend project! The materials are cheap and readily available. It is geared towards the novice homeowner who wants to save money on average electric bills.
Click Here to Access Earth4Energy
#2 Home Made Power-Plant
This guide was also easy to follow, although it tends to lean more towards making your own biodiesel to heat your home. It also includes numerous tips and techniques for conserving home energy. Over all, it does teach you the same techniques as Earth4Energy as far as solar and wind power creation, but the directions were harder to follow. The price was comparable between the two, so the main difference has to do with the fact that we were able to follow the Earth4Energy guide much easier than the Home Made Power-Plant one.
Click Here to Access Home Power Plant
#3 Homemade Energy
Our third best choice also teaches you how to use solar or wind power or both. The guide has lots of case studies which shows how real people, like you and me, used their guide and had great success with it. The technology is similar to Earth4Energy and Home Made Power-Plant, however, the claim that they have a “hands-on support system” left much to be desired. We contacted them through their “support ticket” program about where would be the best place to position our solar panel created from their guide. Our promised “prompt and courteous response” took more than a week! Since the support system is important if a total novice is going to use their guide, it is important to have access to this assistance. In this case, they simply failed to meet our expectations.
Click Here to Access HomeMade Energy
