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creeky · 05-17-16, 09:00 AM

I've been living full time off grid for five years now. I love it. So here's a few things I've learned.

ONE: Build it: Solar.
It's easy. And cheap. (this could also be called ignore the trolls)
Yup. Even a humble fella like myself can stumble through a solar build. It's cheap. I built my starter system for $5k. I've grown to around $8k and I have an electric everything. Except my stove and some hot water. I have propane for that. By choice on the stove. I prefer cooking on a gas stove. I also have plans for solar augmented hot water. But, at less than a 40 lb propane tank for hot water every year. No rush.

TWO: Don't be afraid to grow
I've grown my system. It was a pretty bare bones 1 kw system when I started out. I've added a second kw of panels and a second controller. Put in a better inverter. Added a battery charger. An ATS. All as I learned I needed them.

THREE: Buy modern stuff
This means Lithium batteries. If you can get/jury rig a Volt or Leaf battery. Huzzah! But lithium is cheap compared to the alternatives. So even some nice big fat expensive Lifepo4 1000 ah with a bms will pay you dividends for many a year.
Again, this could be called ignore the trolls. I don't know why. But mention any battery chemistry but Pb and the rocks start to shake.
It also means look to Europe. Inverters and chargers from Europe are currently (ha. never gets old) the way to go.

FOUR: be flexible.
Yes, living off grid on a humble solar system like mine means I have to wash dishes in the dishwasher (electric hot water) when the sun shines (tho that will change when i get my lithium battery pack).

FIVE: It's easy.
Really. There are so many folks who have been doing this for so long. You'll find a plethora of quality info online. I have discovered "bokashi" for making my waste management (composting) easy. Building "perfect walls" to keep house heating costs down (combo wood/propane). "Texas cool roofs" to lower cooling needs.

SIX: Experiment
Perfect for us experimental types. I've been running a variety of experiments. Most very successful (texas style cool roofs before they were popular. now on rev C). Solar. Perfect wall. Wow. Some less successful. Pole style building on clay soil? Ha^%@#.

SEVEN: The benefit list is long. And goes well past energy use
One of the best things about living off grid is the extra time you get. I deliberately set out to build a lower overhead lifestyle. I spend my money travelling. Meeting people. Writing. Doing art. Surfing the web. Cooking. Being active. My quality of life has gone way up.

To sum up. Off grid is awesome. Go for it.

05-17-16, 09:00 AM	#38
creeky Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: a field somewhere Posts: 304 Thanks: 64 Thanked 44 Times in 31 Posts	I've been living full time off grid for five years now. I love it. So here's a few things I've learned. ONE: Build it: Solar. It's easy. And cheap. (this could also be called ignore the trolls) Yup. Even a humble fella like myself can stumble through a solar build. It's cheap. I built my starter system for $5k. I've grown to around $8k and I have an electric everything. Except my stove and some hot water. I have propane for that. By choice on the stove. I prefer cooking on a gas stove. I also have plans for solar augmented hot water. But, at less than a 40 lb propane tank for hot water every year. No rush. TWO: Don't be afraid to grow I've grown my system. It was a pretty bare bones 1 kw system when I started out. I've added a second kw of panels and a second controller. Put in a better inverter. Added a battery charger. An ATS. All as I learned I needed them. THREE: Buy modern stuff This means Lithium batteries. If you can get/jury rig a Volt or Leaf battery. Huzzah! But lithium is cheap compared to the alternatives. So even some nice big fat expensive Lifepo4 1000 ah with a bms will pay you dividends for many a year. Again, this could be called ignore the trolls. I don't know why. But mention any battery chemistry but Pb and the rocks start to shake. It also means look to Europe. Inverters and chargers from Europe are currently (ha. never gets old) the way to go. FOUR: be flexible. Yes, living off grid on a humble solar system like mine means I have to wash dishes in the dishwasher (electric hot water) when the sun shines (tho that will change when i get my lithium battery pack). FIVE: It's easy. Really. There are so many folks who have been doing this for so long. You'll find a plethora of quality info online. I have discovered "bokashi" for making my waste management (composting) easy. Building "perfect walls" to keep house heating costs down (combo wood/propane). "Texas cool roofs" to lower cooling needs. SIX: Experiment Perfect for us experimental types. I've been running a variety of experiments. Most very successful (texas style cool roofs before they were popular. now on rev C). Solar. Perfect wall. Wow. Some less successful. Pole style building on clay soil? Ha^%@#. SEVEN: The benefit list is long. And goes well past energy use One of the best things about living off grid is the extra time you get. I deliberately set out to build a lower overhead lifestyle. I spend my money travelling. Meeting people. Writing. Doing art. Surfing the web. Cooking. Being active. My quality of life has gone way up. To sum up. Off grid is awesome. Go for it.