Hey there, So I've been thinking about living off grid for the past few days and it kinda appeals to me. I would have my own land and my own house which wouldn't cost me a mortgage every month. I could use my own electricity with a solar panel so I wouldn't have to pay an energy company for it. And I would have my own water well which takes away yet another bill from my expenses. Then all I would have left to pay for is Internet, my car and groceries. Think of how many millions of dollars people could save if utility bills and mortgages were not part of the budget! I do have some misgivings though. I'm not entirely sure I could live in such a cramped area and I don't know how reliable solar energy would be in VA. I do see some solar panels around the neighborhood but there's no way those households are totally run on solar. We don't get tons of sunlight all year which makes me wonder if I could use it reliably in winter. Does anyone have any useful tips for how I could make this happen? Would anybody NOT recommend it?
You mention neighborhood. What is the local zoning laws in regards to having composting toilets or your own sewer system. How about your grey water?
If you have the internet, you're not off the grid. I could never survive without internet but sometimes I think I ought to pull the plug on it for a few days and actually use my computer without that distraction always present.
Your well will require a pump. And it will have to be a bit more substantial that one of those quaint lever-handled 19th century gems. Your well could easily be more than 100 feet deep. I have to go 300 feet to hit the good water in Atlanta. In upstate NY it's only 65 feet. The pump runs on AC power, so you will need a true sine wave inverter to run it. A modified sine wave inverter is not good for electric motors (they heat up the windings) but they are cheap and run things like computers, lights and a kickass stereo. Refrigeration is also a motorized load, so a specific inverter would run the fridge and the well pump. You should add up the wattage required for everything. The inverters should be powered by deep cycle batteries, the same sort used on boats. Car batteries are not made for long discharge cycles and will wear out fast. They'll do in a pinch or when you're setting up the system, but they are not a long-term solution. Marine batteries will last many years. You'll need a charge controller sized to the wattage of the system plus 25% or so. For solar panels, use an MPPT controller to maximize the intake. Solar panels will generate voltages well below their maximum. Most charge controllers will shut down if the voltage drops below 10 on a 12V system. The MPPT controller inverts the lower voltage to supply a longer charging cycle. It will keep charging the batteries until the voltage goes below 5 or so. I heard a rumor that an MPPT controller can also charge with moon light, but I wouldn't rely on it. I also highly suggest getting a wind turbine. And be sure to get a couple of extra blades, even carbon fiber blades will break if smacked with wind-borne debris. A wind turbine will charge batteries on dark days. Personally I would use 2 wind turbines and 2 independent solar arrays and make the system bridgeable. It sounds like you are going to be some ways from a spare part, so if a charge controller fails, you'll have enough spare power to keep the fridge and well pump going while you run off to fetch a new part. Wind turbines can make noise, but you'll know it's making power and get used to it. Up in NY we built an outdoor grill with a brick oven for making pizza. In the chimney I used refractory and copper tubing to make a heat exchanger. The other is a Honda radiator in the basement with a fan. In the winter we often burn wood in the brick oven and catch the heat with antifreeze to keep the basement warm. On a really cold day it makes a huge difference. The walkway is made of wood arranged like a Swiss bench, so the snow isn't a problem until it gets to be a foot high. Burning about an hours worth with each load, up to 2 with hardwood, but we cut it small for the kitchen so it burns faster. Split logs would burn longer. Using water to carry the heat means insulating the pipes. Most ugly looking. Jane, my wife, painted the lagging with dark green paint and then stenciled ivy on it. Few notice it now. If you try a hand cranking generator, get one with a shaft long enough for a pulley so you can attach it to an exercise bike. SO much better than wearing your arms out just to watch a football game. And if you do go for well water, have it tested and consider adding a reverse osmosis filter. Wells can carry silt or excessive minerals up to the pump. The worst are sulfur wells. There is nothing in the world like bathing in sulfurated water or drinking iced tea made from it. Ingest enough sulfur and everyone will smell it, but YOU!
I've seen a few places in the East that have done well for themselves off-grid. The electric company from where I lived in Maryland has a solar farm as do lots of private home-owners who just use it to off-set their bill. I just read they are trying to pass laws to inhibit or squeeze money out of solar users because electric companies are suffering losses too so check your regulations. MD also has a tax credit for energy upgrades if that makes any sense. Virginia has that personal property tax so that might hurt you if you do a bunch of fancy upgrades and try to cheat their system. Another reason I left Maryland. They make no sense. I don't know how GerogeJetstoned does in upstate NY winters. I was up there for two years and can't imagine not having easy heat. Bless his heart. I'm just learning how to cope with snow in Texas.
Old thread but this is something I have been thinking about as part of my skill set. off grid isn't that hard if you have the knowledge, resources, people power, and enough land you can live comfortably. While I only know a few people that live completely off grid you can start in stages. The most basic thing is food. It's too much to get into it here but farming is work, but it's not super hard. Get a few books on gardening and know how many people you will be feeding. Also where you are can you hunt and what other ways can you gather food. And there is some cost/benefit thinking you have to do here. Like I love blackberries. In summer there are blackberry brambles all around where I live. but if I spent all day getting them it's not the best food source for time spent. Energy is the biggest thing you have to think of after that. Heating, electrical, powering other things. Like we have a fridge that's wood powered. but we have to keep in mind "the cooler is wood powered" so we can't waste time with the door open. Also rocket stoves will become your friend as they get the most energy out of your wood. Of course read and talk to others and get as much info as you can. You also have to get resources too. Like we've been friends with guys as two of our local dumps. We get them to save stuff for us. We upcycle a lot, and we trade a lot. Sory i'm not explaining it well. but it is a knack you have to put your mind in.
it's not hard. It's a pretty simple conversion from those propane fridges you find in campers. Don't see any plans online but I've seen it and help out with building another one.
