Living Off Grid With Your Own Electricity
Yesterday I introduced a Canadian couple who have been living off grid for 20 years. I talked about the way they designed their home in order to utilise free solar power by letting the sun in during Winter but keeping it out in Summer. This reduces their demand for energy to heat and cool their home, which makes living off grid more viable.
Living Off Grid With Water
Today I look at how they have organised their water – yes, from a water point of view, they are also living off grid.
They dug a well, and designed it in such a way as to minimise pump cycling. All their fixtures (showers, taps, toilets) are low flow or ultra low flow. The average Canadian consumes 91 gallons of water per person per day they say, and they use less than half of that.
They have a septic tank (because there is no mains sewage) and they have installed a filter and a leaching bed. This means their waste water percolates through the earth and goes back into the water table. In addition, they use only eco-friendly and phosphate-free cleaning materials, so their water doesn’t contain toxic chemicals.
What About Power?
They generate all their own electricity in order to live off grid, via photovoltaic solar panels and a wind turbine. They also have a diesel generator, which runs mostly off biodiesel (they can’t run it 100% off biodiesel due to the extreme cold – Winter temperatures in their area can go to -22 F (-30C) so they have to add some diesel to the mix).
The solar panels provide around 85% of their annual electricity requirements. The wind turbine provides about 10% with the small remainder (5%) being supplied by the generator.
Living Off Grid but Not Eco-Friendly?
The owner of this sustainable home was interviewed and he explained that he knows people who are living ‘off grid’ but ‘on propane’. He explains that because certain household appliances (such as stoves, clothes dryers and water heaters) use such a lot of electricity, many people opt to use propane or other fuel sources because it’s cheaper than installing a solar or wind system large enough to power these energy hogs.
In his experience, some 90% of off-grid homes rely on renewable energy for less than 10% of their total energy needs, with fuel (mostly propane) providing energy for heating, hot water and cooking.
Propane is of course fairly clean-burning, but it is a non-renewable resource (it is a by-product of oil drilling and coal mining). Thus, even though those houses are off grid, they are not using eco-friendly energy generation.
Next: how this eco-friendly home generates heat in winter.
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Photo Credit: DuPont
Can you sell water back to the city?
Mark Hogan
Interesting! Part of my intention in living off the grid would include being as eco-friendly as possible. I had never even considered people might be living off the grid in a non eco-friendly way.
Cherie Miranda
I love reading success stories about people living off the grid. We get so used to thinking we have to go the traditional route and be dependent on these huge companies when there are many ways to become more self-reliant. Thank you for covering this topic!
Michael
They are pioneers in a way , more and more of us may be forced to follow .
I love their spirit and their execution but I question how practical this is for everyday citizens. Perhaps with solar panels we can decrease our needs for public utilities but I think it would be extremely difficult to go completely off grid living the typical suburban lifestyle.
Do you know anyone livining in a city or suburban community that is living off the grid?
Dennis
Hi Clare,
I am really surprised at the estimate that 90% of the “off grid” homes only produce about 10% of their enrgy. It seems to me that isn’t really being off grid. That is like getting natural gass and saying you are off grid. But it is a great testament to the Canadian couple – I am surprised they can generate so much solar powered electric up in Canada.
Hi Green Goddess,
I know it is a terribly Western modern taste that we would be nearly gasping without air to be away from the internet but would so kind as to address in your Living Off the Grid series the options to have internet access as well please?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Your post remind me of a family that I met in Quito, Ecuador. They lived in the middel of the capital but they wanted to have a very natural live and they had solar pannels, water tanks and a “natural” bathroom??’ that was very strange but they were very proud of it!
I’m kind of stunned that the off the grid people have to buy propane. I would think they would really embrace self sustainability.
I really like the thought of people living off the grid. I wonder how many there are? Any estimates?
Sonya Lenzo
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I wonder about composting toilets. I have heard there are some very good models on the market and that would help close off the cycle with the humanure.
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