The preliminary results of the research on the sustainable performance of an alternative energy system for rural houses in the Appalachian region of the United States are presented.

The system is composed of solar panels, an ammonia electrolytic cell, and a fuel cell.  An index was developed to measure the sustainable performance of the proposed system in comparison to conventional energy sources. This index addresses the appraisal of each source of energy by measuring its sustainable performance and the factors that influence the users’ decision making process for its adoption. Through literature review it was found that the most important criteria regarding sustainable performance are economic performance, energy consumption, and environmental impact.  In order to identify the factors that influence the user’s decision making process of adopting a source of energy two surveys have been conducted. It was found that cost, reliability, environmental impact, safety, space and maintenance are factors that should be included in the index.