QUESTION: Is there any financial assistance available for installing renewable energy systems?

ANSWER: In the US, you can check the DSIRE database to find out all local, state and federal incentive programs.

In Canada, the federal government's Office of Energy Efficiency has a grant program, the Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit Grants, to encourage home energy efficiency. To be eligible, your home must undergo an EnerGuide for Houses Evaluation. To qualify, you must contact an energy evaluator then follow their evaluation recommendations, and you must achieve a minimum improvement. Natural Resources also lists other incentives.

QUESTION: Please send info in regards to becoming a retailer for the re-sale of the book "The renewable energy handbook" by Bill Kemp.

ANSWER: To become a retailer of our books, please send an email to michelle(at)aztext(dot)com and she will send you all of the details.

QUESTION: I just saw your segment on Rogers Ottawa. You mentioned that there are ways to save $1000 a year on home heating and energy. You also mentioned there are government programs that we can apply for to make improvements to save this energy loss.

Can you let me know if there is a resource that outlines what I can do for my home in terms of saving energy and applying to the goverment for programs related?

ANSWER: The best resource to use when looking to find ways to save $ on home heating and energy is our book "$mart Power: An urban guide to renewable energy and efficiency". It is filled with information regarding windows, insulation, designing and building a new home, upgrading an existing home, as well as using energy more wisely in your home.

QUESTION: I purchased a copy of your renewable enery handbook about 2 months ago and enjoyed it immensely. I just found out that there is a dvd that goes along with this book and was wondering how to get it. If you could let me know. Thanks. I was also wondering if there are any workshops on this subject and if there is, I would be glad to take one if I knew when & where.

ANSWER: The companion DVD to The Renewable Energy Handbook is available for order here on our site. It is a 20 minute tour of Bill Kemp's off-grid home showing all of the various components of an off-grid system that are discussed in the book. As for workshops, be sure to check the speaking engagements section of our website for upcoming events that Bill Kemp or Cam Mather (Aztext Press publisher) will be speaking at.

QUESTION: We need to find a consultant to do an energy audit of our house and advise on retrofitting solar, wind etc. It is a 12-year old bungalow on the Upper Ottawa, built to R 2000 standard in many respects but not certified. I particularly want to look into a mechanical wind mill to bring river water up for the garden, also solar panels for the hot water. Our electricity consumption is very high and I can't figure out why.

ANSWER: Bill Kemp is often asked to act as a consultant on new building projects and upgrades on existing homes. As much as he would like to, he unfortunately doesn't have the time to. This desire to provide guidance to others is one of the reasons that he was inspired to write the books!

QUESTION: I live in a 39 unit, seven-storey condominium apartment building. The units have individual control over HVAC with mini heating and cooling devices in each unit and master systems at the top of the building and separately metered hydro etc. I think my own energy use is pretty low and I am wondering whether there are any ideas I could pitch to the Board that are building-wide; e.g. whether it is feasible to put solar panels on the building roof, or mini turbines. My question is whether there is anything in the Aztext books that might be applicable to an apartment building setup. My technical knowledge is low, but I"d be willing to research and pitch ideas to fellow owners.

ANSWER: All of the information contained in The Renewable Energy Handbook and $mart Power can be used in mulit-unit residential or commercial buildings. The systems described in either of these books can be sized up to meet the requirements of any building.

QUESTION: I took your seminar a few weeks ago at St. Lawrence College in Kingston. I've been rather busy of late, but have a few questions for you. One of the reasons I took the seminar was for information, but also because I'm changing careers and interested in doing renewable (solar, wind) installations. Any thoughts and/or recommendations as to how to go about it?

ANSWER: We are often asked about careers in the renewable energy field. There are now courses being offered at various community colleges that specialize in renewable energy (St. Lawrence College in Kingston is one - contact your local college to see if they are offering one). Other than that, we would suggest that you contact a local RE dealer or installer and ask if you can apprentice with them. This will give you a good idea of the what the work involves and the status of the RE business in your area.

QUESTION:  I tried to contact Bill Kemp using the email given in his book but my message was returned..could you give me his current email address?

ANSWER: Please send all correspondence to Bill Kemp to info(at)aztext(dot)com and we will forward  them on to him.