Would You Like To Live off the Grid?

Posted under solar power by Dale Green

Have you always dreamed of being self sufficient, being able to live off the grid and supply your own energy? If you’re like most of us, you’ve at least thought about it before. It once was that just about the only way to do this was to live in an area so remote that no existing electrical grid would reach. Now, the choice to live off the gridis something which is available to an increasing number of people, most concerned more with saving on their electric bill than with living off the land. However, if you’ve found some remote property, you may have to learn to live off the grid out of necessity rather than choice.

If you’re building a new home on your property, then you should decide on what sort of power you want to use in your home before construction begins. Since you’re moving here to live off the grid, you should make your energy source part of your home from the ground up.

If you’d prefer to use solar power, you’ll have to make sure that the property receives plenty of full sun to ensure that you can produce enough energy to meet your needs. A solar power system generally performs best when it faces south. You’ll need to have some idea of how much power you need to produce; remember that you’ll need enough energy to power your home and heat your water as well.

Are you living somewhere with plenty of wind? Then wind energy will be the answer for you for your power needs. You also can combine wind turbines and wind generators with the solar power systems. This is a great way to provide all your power needs.

One part of living off the grid is being able to support yourself. Chances are you can’t keep your current job, so you’ll need to either develop some marketable skills or use some skills you already have to make a living in your new home.

Did you grow up on a farm and know that you could support yourself this way? Then go for it, there is a big demand for organic produce these days. So you just may make it work. And doing this along with using solar or wind energy, you will be doing something that does not harm the planet.

You might be an artist that is planning to do their artwork and sell it. This is a great off the grid profession to do. Maybe you are a painter and can use the spaces around you for inspiration for your paintings. Being a writer can also be done off the grid and with today’s cell phones you can still easily stay in touch with the rest of the world without using too much power. Just be sure you have cell surface where you are going to live.

So does living off the grid appeal to you? Just remember that you will have to use conservation methods too along with the solar and/or wind energy to make it successfully. You cannot be an energy hog and live off the grid too.