I've heard some folks comment they scuttled off the grid home plans as they cannot get a mortgage or HO Insurance.
One would think that in the right climate with sun and wind and backup generator it would be pretty easy to do these days.
Now the bad part. He has over 40,000 invested in photocells. He does not have the battery capacity to store his excess power, he is using the electric provider as his storage system. He is living in a 2000 sq ft house that is of block construction, so his insulation is not the best. They do use a pellet stove for heat in the winter with a propane furnace for backup. Uses all LED lighting. But has a computer system that dims the lights when it is turned on.
I live in a log cabin that for the first 8 years of its live was off the grid because there was no grid. My dad built the cabin and they used kerosene lights and a camping stove for cooking. He took an old refrigerator (the ones that used to have the compressor as the bottom third) cut off that third and laid it down and had a huge ice chest. Water was hauled in until a community well was put in.
Right now as I speak I can tell you the biggest draw on electricity is the hot water heater and the range. The electric dryer is probably next.
If you were to use propane for hot water and for cooking and for drying clothes you could probably get off the grid as long as you do not have air conditioning.
Terry
Electricity: solar panels and a propane powered generator.
Water: well
Heat: small woodstove/propane back-up
Compost toilet/grey water septic field.
Think their square footage is less than 500 sq. ft. He does have a nice insulated pole barn for his man cave/toys.
They like "living small" with the benefit of minimal housecleaning/maintenance and being able to travel.
We run a dishwasher,washing machine, small chest freezer, lights, soft start pump for water pressure. hair dryer(the wife)toaster, small hand tools We're in Western Montana and rarely need to run our generator between late Mar to late Oct, during the winter months depending on the amount of partly sunny days, we'll usually have to run the generator every other day for about 3 hours.
It's very doable, you just have to adapt to when you use the high wattage things and always remember to turn things of when they don't need to be on...
We have home owners insurance and their aware we live off grid two and a half miles up a non county maintained Forrest Service Rd...
If or when power comes close I'm not sure we would hook to it...
It has a wood fired boiler that circulates hot water under the saltillo tile floors to heat the whole house- doesn't need air conditioning.
i'm thinking if developing the property is prohibitively expensive- like running utility lines in a long ways- the property will be cheaper.I've heard stories of utility companies wanting $100k to bring in power a long ways. Clean water is of course a priority...
Joey Ward's Link
http://codylundin.com/codys_house.html
Has some good info you may be interested in.
Currently solar isn't very efficient and the batteries and panels have a relatively short working life. I know of a couple homes that have installed propane gensets and use those rather than replacing the panels.
I tried it for about 6 months, but having to push that damned wheel every time Mary Ann wanted to watch Oprah got old real fast. :^)
:-)
No way I can live off the grid all the time but I'd like to be able to do a month or two without to much effort.
They run their machines off compressed air run by stationary engines, run by diesel, gasoline or natural gas.
They have hot running water, heat from natural gas or propane and do their transportation by horse and buggy. They will hire drivers to take them shopping or on long trips.
