Living Off Grid

Great “Real Life” Example of Living Off Grid

 

I just love to read about people living off grid!  I suppose there are a lot of us who want independence from government-supplied or government-controlled utilities, and living off grid can do that for us.

But it’s not quite as straightforward or easy as we might like.  It’s perfectly possible, but not completely easy.

So when I find out about people successfully living off grid, I want to know all the details!

Here’s what a family in rural Ontario are doing – they’ve been living off grid for 20 years now!

I’ve talked about a lot of these topics before in various blogs, but it’s always good to have a real-life example.

Bill and Lorraine Kemp moved to a plot of land where it would have cost a fortune to connect the property to electricity.  So they decided to use renewable energy instead.

They built their home with a large roof overhang on the front porch.  This shades the house from direct sunlight in the summertime, yet allows the low-angle winter sun to warm the house.

Living Off Grid Free solar heating and cooling for non-extreme temperatures!

They paid a lot of attention to insulation, to ensure that the energy they use to heat or cool the house is not wasted by letting the air escape.  They used:

  1. Blown-in cellulose insulation, manufactured from recycled paper products.
  2. For areas that were difficult to insulate in this manner, they used spray foam (urethane) insulation, which has the added benefit of forming its own vapour barrier.
  3. Solar-powered vent fans.
  4. Radiant-barrier insulation.
  5. Vapour and wind barriers.
  6. Careful joint sealing.

These were the ‘passive’ methods they used in their home.

Next, I’ll discuss how they don’t rely on a municipal water supply.

 

Related Articles

Living off grid – water and electricity

Living off grid  – heating

Living Off Grid – Cooking

Truly, how easy IS it to live off grid?

 

Planning for Living Off Grid

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Mother Earth

 


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  • I have a friend who lives completely off the grid, which I think is really amazing. So, I was so glad you wrote about this today.

    Michael

  • Hi Clare,

    Living off the grid sounds great. I imagine that as utility costs keep rising and green technology keeps getting more affordable we will see the off grid trend continually grow.

  • The more we can learn about living off grid or at least reducing our dependence on increasing expensive public utilities, the better off we will all be.

    Dennis

  • HI eco-expert!
    I think is great that some people live like this! It used to be the rule not that long ago in my country…We were behind all Europe. Nowadays we feel it’s very difficult to live without electricity but when I was a kid it was normal to have a couple of solar pannels in the mountain where my grandparents had a little house.

  • This idea is resurfacing again . Used to be popular back in the 60’s and 70’s . Getting easier to accomplish, due to greater choice of products to aid you in being successful .

  • It’s funny how some view living off the grid as impossible and yet for others there could be no other way. I’m looking forward to snagging a few ideas over the next couple of articles.

    Repairs

  • Hi Green Goddess,

    Oh this couple sounds like a wonderful example of self sufficiency which too many of us have removed ourselves from in the 21st century lifestyle. What, no smart phone? how do they live? lol

    Looking forward to more self sufficient freedom and liberty tips from this lovely couple who is living well off the grid.

    April Braswell, CH

  • Clare, this is more coomon to see homes “off grid” and using their own solar power for their homes.
    Scott Sylvan Bell

  • I SO want to live off the grid. There’s a really great book by Nick Rosen called “Off the Grid.” He travelled around the US interviewing people who had done just that.

    Cherie Miranda

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