The state of the world currently has a lot of people fantasizing about living a simpler life away from civilization. While it seems romantic to live off the land and be self sufficient, it isn’t for everybody. There are loads of challenges to be aware of. Not least of which is to try to be as energy efficient as possible while also making sure that you are comfortable.
If you are in the beginning stages of researching what you need to know about living off grid, then this article will be helpful. I will go over the basics that you need to understand before you pull up stakes and head to the country.
1 – Heating
No matter where you plan to live, you’re going to need to heat your home at some point. In some areas, it may even be a majority of the year. While you may want to be totally eco friendly, the chances of using renewables 100% is not very realistic. You should strive for using things like solar to heat your home, but also have a backup plan. Gas Oil Suppliers will be able to fill up a tank for you no matter how rural you find your home. You can also use wood, but this can actually get quite expensive unless you are harvesting trees off of your own property.
2 – Hot water
Getting hot water to bathe in and wash dishes is not as much as a luxury as you think. In fact, it’s quite necessary. So, this part can be a bit tricky. Once again, solar is a great option as you can set up panels on the roof that heat water in special cylinders that will provide continuous hot water. Unless the sun isn’t shining, in which case you’ll need to have a back up. In just about every scenario living off grid you need a backup. You should have a propane tank filled to be able to power things like a small point of use tankless water heater.
3 – Water supply
Getting clean, drinkable water is also a challenge when off grid. You don’t have the luxury of being on a public water supply with fresh water at the turn of a knob. Instead, you’ll have to look into digging a well on your property or using a system to get water from a nearby lake and then filtering it before you drink it.
4 – Lighting
Once again, solar is coming to the rescue. With so many advances in photovoltaic technology, you can get a lot of power from solar. Since running a generator is wasteful and really only good in emergency situations, you will need to make sure that you have solar plus battery storage to always have enough electricity to power your lights and appliances. If you have a running stream outside your home, then you can set up a very efficient and effective water mill that generates electricity 24 hours a day.
