Has anyone heard of www.homemadeenergy.org
Thier spiel is you give them $50 for thier special construction guides, then $200 at the local hardware store & you are making your own electricity and using it to run part of your house.
Sounds a bit too good to be true. It seems to me you’d need an inverter and some type of connection equipment to tie into your house/grid electrical system. Or is is so easy you can plug something right into a house circuit? My gut tells me you don’t tie a power source into your home wiring/grid without some special connection hardware.
Replies
A pretty web site, and assertions that the OTHER guy is a crook, are no guarantees the critic is not a crook himself.
Much is possible, but there is no way a few dollars at the hardware store will remove you from the power company. I expect his 'guide' is 90% advice to simplify your life, have low-load appliances be powered directly by solar cells, eliminating your water heater by running water through a black hose (and taking showers only at the peak of sunny days, etc.
Much of Nevada is so 'rural' as to make Manhatttan, Kansas seem like Manhattan, New York! We have plenty of places here that are more than 100 miles from the nearest "grid." Believe me, if there was an easy, cheap way to get power, we would be using it now!
Otherwise, be cautioned that a major portion of the "solar" crowd advocate dangerous attitudes and practices. Filled with contempt for things like the electrical code, their advice and 'easy' fixes will set the stage for someone getting killed. Heck, we're still working out the kinks on legitimate installations.
These advocates also ignore the necessary maintenance and repairs over time. As an example, one system I know of will take 35 years to pay for itself - IF no maintenance is necessary. Not even the shingles on the roof that has the panels has a guarantee that long. I've even had solar equipment suppliers close their doors between the time they shipped the parts, and I received them. Heck, in these times, one can't even be sure GM will be around in 35 years.
So... where to find practical information? "Home Power" magazine is the best of a flawed group, and "Backwoods Home" has some good articles.
I've tried them and the information is interesting and helpful, but can be found elsewhere. If you want to save the time involved on research and $50 bucks is worth a couple of hours of your time, than go ahead. The most helpful information is leads on finding solar cells, and batteries, and ocassional updates on better methods they have found and passed on.
Ott
Thanks. I must be getting old & cynical 'cus I can't really belive things that are too good to believe. Plus the company has no real world address or company with a city reputation.
I've got all sorts of books and guides from over the years. I'd be happy to pay a few hundred to lower my electrical bills. I'll wait a few years and then go to a reputable company that sells equipment and has a good track record.
Thanks for the info.
Given that you signed up today to post this URL, but first inclination is that you are a Spammer.
BUT...given your reply, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Otherwise, this is just looks like one of those 'get rich quick schemes' you see advertised on TV at 2AM. Do a bit of google searching, print it out in to 'pamphlet' and sell it to gullible/lazy folks for $$$.
Edited 3/28/2009 7:33 pm ET by darrel
Yea, a bit of googling will confirm it:
http://digg.com/environment/Homemade_Energy_Review_Is_Homemade_Energy_Scam