The Self-Sufficient Home: Going Green and Saving Money, by Christopher Nyerges is a very interesting book in our homesteading library. I bought this book after hearing Nyerges interviewed by Jack Spirko on The Survival Podcast awhile back.
His book is a collection of information about tackling the various systems of support we all depend upon and becoming self-sufficient. He talks about heating and cooling, covering such topics as insulation, the color of your roof, attic fans powered by refurbished solar panels…
There is a very interesting story about a family’s experiences during a California earthquake in 1971, and how they got by with the preparations they had in their home for very low cost.
Nyerges covers other topics, such as composting and gardening, alternative energy, solar water heaters, water storage, toilet alternatives and even a very nice tutorial on biodiesel.
I would say that Nyerges has taken the idea of self-sufficiency a bit farther than I ever hope to need to do, but there is a lot of very good information in this book. If nothing else, he does bring to mind the awareness of just how much there is in everyday life that we take for granted.