I suppose it depends on your definition of "unnecessary". I regard heating as necessary and currently I use a GSHP, for which I need the grid. What would you suggest as a better heating method?

I use wood so it depends on the situation. I planned from the get-go to not depend on the grid and not get trapped in the mess.. ;)

Not everyone regards burning wood as an environmentally-friendly solution:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...ns-wood-stoves

Whether that is valid or not I don't know but I rejected wood as my main heat source mainly because it is so labour intensive. From storage to burning would take far more work that I care for now, and looking to the future I don't want to face that when I am in my dotage.

I agree that it's a lot of work but I'm assured that I'll have heat this winter by the end of this summer, regardless on what the situation of the grid may be. That's called security..

I have 2 back ups. Propane and kerosene. No electric needed for either..

I don't mind chucking firewood. I can have a weeks worth of heat inside in an hour..

Heating is the hardest job for alternates. I'm working up to microhydro and wind to run my heat in the future but right now I do use some wood and oil which I absolutely disdain!

Now that I'm so far ahead on my electric bill I'll run some electric space heaters this winter.

I thought about pellets but haven't researched the environmental impact and cost.

Rob

I also considered pellets. There were some practical problems, such as the amount of space needed to store them is high since they are not very dense, I wasn't convinced an auto-feed mechanism would work reliably for the expected lifetime of a burner, and there seemed to be a lot of dust involved in having a large delivery.
The cost seemed fine, but I thought the price of pellets might go up once there was more of an installed base.
I really wanted pellets to be a good choice but in the end there were just too many drawbacks and uncertainties. Perhaps if reasonably-priced equipment to make your own pellets were available I would have taken a different view.

So it sounds like wood is a good choice for you, and I wouldn't say anything against that for you, but that doesn't mean there is a good off-grid choice for everyone, and so I can't agree with your claim that there is no sense in the grid.

I did see those 'make your own pellets' on you tube but wasn't convinced the high price was worth the hassle and then there are the expensive cutters that have to be replaced.

Personally I'm not a big fan of wood, I have a lot on my land that in the form of down trees and such. It's cheap if you have the timber, that's what it has going for it, if you ask me. I have a 3 point splitter for the tractor and I can churn out the cords pretty fast so it's a good enough second option for me if the power goes down. I really like the idea of heating with microhydro because it runs pretty much 24/7 here in the spring, I just have to get it in. That with wind and an occasional wood fire should do me well.

Rob

Making heat with any alternative is tough. It's not an option for me, not even solar heating. Too many gloomy days during the winter. It would take a field full of solar panels and a huge hydro generator to make enough to heat a house around here. Ya gotta burn something, be it propane, wood, whatever..

I considered pellets myself but moisture and storage issues stopped that. If they draw moisture, they fall apart. I don't have enough indoor storage to keep them dry and I already use ~1/4 of my heated area for water storage. (No well or cistern) I collect from my roof..

Wood can be stored outside and all you need to do is keep direct weather from it. Just keep the top covered and you're good to go. I can heat for a season for ~6-7 hundred bucks and there's nothing like wood burner heat. I cook on the wood burner all winter so that saves propane.. ;)

Considered coal but it's really nasty! I remember that from my childhood. Easy to store and it won't soak up water but...

I'm not totally against the grid. It has its place in society but for everyday home use, it sure could be used much more efficiently than it is. I prove this every day..

At this moment, I have one light fixture on that lights up 3 rooms enough to do anything, (Cold Cathode Fluorescent) several small LED fixtures that runs 24/7, XM rcvr. and amp for speakers, fan on my composting bathroom fixture, charging 2 cell phones and two electronic cig batteries, and this laptop computer and consuming 4 amps @ 12 v.d.c. direct from the battery. No inverter anywhere. When I go to bed, there's a 1.7 amp draw on the battery..

I have a different view of the grid since I haven't relied on it for so long. It's funny watching folks squirm when it goes down..

Those of you doing off grid living, do you live alone or have families? What kind of wife/kid approval factor does it have?