Do you know what you need to do to really get off the grid?
There is a lot of attention these days to making your own electricity and getting off the grid.
I am going to break these down so you know more about this subject.
You can make your own electricity and you can get off the grid, but do you know the investment needed?
For example, if you wanted to implement solar power for your home and get off the grid, you would have to generate a substantial amount of power.
Appliances like your dryer, microwave, fridge and toaster (to name a few) take substantial electricity to operate.
You also need to size an inverter to handle the wattage these appliances require and you need to factor in if appliances are on at the same time. For example, your dryer and a toaster. That would require a peak wattage of 7,000 watts. A 7,000 watt inverter is not cheap.
In order to really get off the grid, you need to make some lifestyle changes. You will need to be aware of what energy consumptions you are currently using and what are you willing to change?
Here are some things you can do:
– use a clothes line instead of your electric clothes dryer
– replace electric heat with propane gas heat or natural gas
– replace electric stove with a gas stove
– replace normal lights with fluorescent lights
– butane clothes iron
– gas fridge
When you are making your own electricity and are off the grid, you do not have endless power. If you use it all up, you are out of power, till the sun or wind or you recharge your battery bank with the aid of a generator.
Simple things like turning off the lights when you leave a room are now a new habit.
You will find you are much more respectful of your power consumption.
If possible, I would start small and gradually add power to your current house, cabin or cottage, unless your power consumptions are small, then implement all in one shot.
To help reduce your investment, you might want to consider making your own solar panels.