Living Off Grid

The steps to living off grid can often be a confusing mess of steps, how-to guides, and an abundance of gadgets to make the experience "Easier". Making the attempt myself for some years, I found myself planning, buying, making, and prepping into an eventual scrapped idea. I have been talking about off grid living a lot more recently with with new innovations, new wide acceptance, and "The New Normal" turning a lot more people to the idea. So I want to make this guide to help others get introduced to the idea while also being able to relive my experience with the idea. This guide is mainly looking at the United States since that is where most of my experience is.The steps to living off grid are actually very similar to how one would live on grid as the needs are the same but how you meet them are going to be different. Many of the steps below feed into one another, working your way down you can expand the step previous, and possibly give solutions to potential problems along the way.LifestyleLiving off grid is going to be different. That is a given, but HOW you want to live matters. Do you want to transplant all the experience of living on grid, just in a different, more secluded location? Do you want to live the Van-Life and take your home mobile? Or do you want to live the traditionalist lifestyle and really rough it? These questions matter and we can look at all the possibilities you have. Each option does have it's PROs and CONs, which will also lead you to not need to answer or at least give you an easier path to answer the later steps. Starting with the easiest...Mobile-Home This method can also apply to Van-life, or other mobile dwellers, but the idea goes, if you want your life to be on wheels, this method is for you. Since you will be living full time on the road...Food, Water are mainly going to be on grid. Power will be gas, and portable electric. Shelter, of course would be the mobile-home. And location will be anywhere there is a road.

Tiny-House Trailer

Van Conversion

Hybrid This is a off grid alternative while trying to provide all the benefits of living on grid. Location can be urban or rural, Shelter can be pre-fabricated or hand built, Power, while being on grid is supplemented by alternative power (mainly solar), water and food can be the same but again supplemented by rain/stream caching and gardening. This is probably the most popular and common option for off grid living.

Modern Home

Prefabricated / Modular Home

Transplanted Similar to the Hybrid lifestyle, this method is trying to transplant all the conveniences of on grid living in a off grid solution. Arguably the most cost effective in the long term, it also takes the most capital investment to get started. Location should be a state where homesteading is common or at least not a issue for land grants or land purchases while also allowing someone to maintain a large enough area for building a home, caching enough water to live from, and enough area to farm reasonably a family of 4 (Which depending on crop rotation and livestock) should take about an acre.

Cabin

Prefabricated / Modular-Home

Tiny-House

Roughing-It This is the traditionalist lifestyle, similar to the Amish or Mennonite lifestyle of the United States. This is where the truest form of off grid lifestyle comes in. Location should be in an area to build your own home, Power will come from fire or similar alternative non-electrical solutions, Water will come from streams or rain caching or well, Food should come from farming and livestock.

Cabin

Tiny-House

Yurt

*RV (Recreation Vehicle) - A motor vehicle or trailer which includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motor-homes, camper-vans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper trailers), fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers.*Tiny House - A dwelling unit with a maximum of 37 square metres (400 sq ft) of floor area, excluding lofts.*Modular Home - A prefabricated building that consists of repeated sections called modules. Modularity involves constructing sections away from the building site, then delivering them to the intended site. Installation of the prefabricated sections is completed on site.*Cabin - A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers.*Yurt - A portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure consists of an angled assembly or latticework of wood or bamboo for walls, a door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring) possibly steam-bent.LocationThe first great hurdle should be, where do you want to live? The Mobile-Home already as a solution to this problem, for every other lifestyle we need to ask ourselves...Where is land affordable? Try to find an area where cost of land is low. Possibly where there is a land grant in your desired location to homestead the land. And where you can meet the needs of your lifestyle, whether it be urban or rural.Average Cost Per Acre (2019)

Alabama

$3,100

Alaska

[EXCLUDED]

Arizona

$3,800

Arkansas

$3,320

California

$10,000

Colorado

$1,570

Connecticut

$12,200

Delaware

$8,950

Florida

$5,950

Georgia

$3,470

Hawaii

[EXCLUDED]

Idaho

$3,000

Illinois

$7,280

Indiana

$6,580

Iowa

$7,190

Kansas

$1,960

Kentucky

$3,820

Louisiana

$3,120

Maine

$2,410

Maryland

$8,060

Massachusetts

$11,100

Michigan

$4,960

Minnesota

$4,840

Mississippi

$2,800

Missouri

$3,400

Montana

$915

Nebraska

$2,850

Nevada

$1,020

New Hampshire

$4,980

New Jersey

$13,500

New Mexico

$570

New York

$3,250

North Carolina

$4,680

North Dakota

$1,740

Ohio

$6,290

Oklahoma

$1,870

Oregon

$2,500

Pennsylvania

$6,470

Rhode Island

$15,600

South Carolina

$3,400

South Dakota

$2,070

Tennessee

$3,990

Texas

$2,120

Utah

$2,420

Vermont

$3,630

Virginia

$4,650

Washington

$2,820

West Virginia

$2,680

Wisconsin

$4,950

Wyoming

$740

Climate? The weather is going to make the difference when the going gets tough. How much sunlight, the annual rain amount, and variations in temperature for the seasons will make the difference on how you life, what you need to prepare for, and what off grid solutions you are going to need year round. Koppen

Agriculture? Are you looking to farm on your land? Do you need to? What kind of plants and animals live naturally there and what can be farmed reasonably and without much difficulty?Simple Farming Animals

Chickens

Ducks

Goats

Honey Bees

Pigs

Rabbit

Sheep

Simple Farming Vegetables

Basil

Beans

Beets

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

Kale

Lettuce

Mint

Pea

Peppers

Radish

Spinach

Squash

Tomato

ShelterThis section will be a bit more ranged since the needs to a shelter should meet the needs to the person or people living there. Again Mobile-Home answers this question and Hybrid living would most likely be purchasing a on grid home and converting it to off grid. But Transplanted homes and Roughing-It have a wider range of questions and options.Size The type of structure should be answered first by what size of structure you are going to need. 150sq ft could be enough for 1 person, but what about 4? Can you purchase a pre-fabricated shelter or do a shed conversion? How big would you have to build?Finding The Right Size

Measure and record each of the rooms in your current home, think of the function of each room. Include cooking, dining, bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, living, storage, circulation, and utility space.

Note whether each space feels too big or too small.

Given how the spaces currently feel and your future needs, adjust the sizes until the spaces feel right.

Add up the adjusted numbers.

(NOTE: To help slim down some extra feet. Imagine or ask yourself if a counter-top, table, desk, or bed could be mounted into the wall or collapse into the wall. This should free up 18sq ft easy)Type What is the type of shelter you are going to need. As mentioned previously, can you buy a pre-fabricate home and move it off grid? Maybe do a shed or barn conversion? Or are you wanting to build an off grid cabin?These were listed previously but some additional ideas can be...

Converting a shed

Converting a Bus

Converting a Barn

Making a Bunker

A Tipi

Comforts This probably should be before the Type, but it can go before or after the selection. Where are you comforts going to be? And by comforts I mean the basics to the home, bedding, kitchen, toilet, and shower/bath. The location of these whether they be in or outside the primary structure may change what style and type of home you want to live in and where. (Making a trip to an outhouse in the snow can be a rude awakening.)PowerManaging an off the gird power source can be tricky as best and an absolute nightmare at worst. Depending on your average power consumption at home (You can see this at the end of the month on your Water/Electric bill or on your meter.) You are gonna start finding ways to cut that number down naturally. The big electric drains on any home are going to be...

Air Conditioning

Appliances

Cooking

Hot Water

Lights

So lets start with way to save money on your current plan and then we can look at the ways to transition those tips into an off grid scenario.Air Conditioning

The easiest way to cut costs is of course not to use it. Living in the great outdoors means you are going to have to get used to living seasonally. Wearing a light shirt and shorts in the summer while packing on a few layers in the winter is going to help a lot.

Next is going to be finding ways to regulate temperature when shedding or adding layers is just not enough. In the summer you want to create a good amount of airflow to allow cool air in while allowing hot ait to escape. When building your home, a good trick is to add a skylight or lofted window, this allows the hot rising air to have an escape while allowing you to open low windows to allow cool air to enter. Having a high window in the back of the house and a low window in the front will create a wind tunnel effect, drafting the air through the house.

Make note of the East and West, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, while noon may be the hottest part of the day, having the sun beaming into your home will cause temperature to rise. Having a home on wheels will help, but for those on a foundation, you may want to make or purchase some blackout blinds to keep the sun out.

Plant some shade trees. This may be a long processes, but depending on how tall your structure is, it may not take much to block out the sun's rays. Putting some good shade trees around your home, off about 30-50 feet from the foundation can drastically cool down and regulate the temperature inside the home.

If you live in a hot dry place, using an evaporative cooler should cool you down and cut cost. In low-humidity areas, evaporating water into the air provides a natural and energy-efficient means of cooling. Evaporative coolers, also called swamp coolers, rely on this principle, cooling outdoor air by passing it over water-saturated pads, causing the water to evaporate into it. The 15 to 40F cooler air is then directed into the home, and pushes warmer air out through windows.

In the winter, try to let the sun in as much as possible.

Getting a wood burning stove in the central part of the home, burning wood is a great way to keep your home warm, but also a good place to cook your evening soup.

Drought-proof and insulate your home. Making sure any unwanted leaks or cracks in the home as a easy way to lose a lot of heat. When building your home, make sure there is a gap between the interior and exterior walls about an inch thick. This should give you plenty of space to fill with insulation or foam. This will both keep your home from being water eroded and stop mold, but also keep your home cool in the summer, and hot in the winter.

Depending on how you are going to heat your water (Which we will talk about later), make sure none of that heat is going to waste, whether its bay ducting the hot air back into the home or using a heat wall to radiate the heat around it, you are gonna save every bit of energy you can.

Make a candle heater, by using a porcelain flower pot and a few tea candles, you can heat the rooms of your home by several degrees.

Appliances

Start by unplugging all appliances in the home (Excluding the ones that will be running 24/7) and start plugging them in one by one as you need them. Make sure to note the time's in which you use them and how long. This is allow you to estimate what you need, and what can go.

Start looking for Mini-size or eco friendly versions of common appliances, using a mini-fridge and a chest freezer should save some space but also cut back on power used. This will also get you used to freezing your food and thawing what you need before you need it.

Check into economy washer and dryers. Something like a Panda Portable Washer and Spin Dryer will save you a lot when it comes to power consumption. It will also force you to think more critically about the clothes you wash, and how often.

A tabletop dishwasher will cut back on power and water due to its size. OR wash your dishes by hand the old fashioned way.

Check into battery powered appliances, if it can run on a battery, it can also be recharged by an alternative power source, like solar. While your gaming rig may be fun, it can also be substituted (with a little sacrifice) to a budget laptop. That way you can charge it when you don't need it (while you are asleep) to lighten the load on your grid.

See what appliances in the home can be hooked up to a solar grid or alternative power. Sometimes the smallest items can take up a lot of unneeded power. Things like cellphone chargers and radios can all have solar alternatives, sometimes it can also be an all in one deal, like an emergency radio, as they often come with a solar panel and USB preinstalled.

Ceiling fans might help circulate out hot air and create a cool breeze, but they also run for a long time without anyone noticing, and often when you don't need them. Using a thermoelectric fan can help mitigate this issue (Candle powered fan).

While I did mention an Evaporative Cooler previously, I would also like to mention Eco-Dehumidifiers. Some of you may want to live in a more humid area. Which can be hot and bothersome in some ways. It can also cause issues on power consumption. Using an eco-dehumidifier will pull excess moisture from the air, making you feel a little cooler while also letting your electronics run more efficiently. Also the excess moisture is pooled into a container to be reused for later in a garden or water purifier.

Remember that list from point 1? Well that wasn't just to cut extra chaff from the things you don't use. I hope you were taking notes because you can use that operating time note to make a "Operation Schedule" to space out what you use and when you use it. Start by plotting out what you used and when on a day schedule. And try to space out the tasks by how long they took and how often, lumping all resource light tasks into one block of time (Giving about a 30 minute block in between to let your grid catch back up) and space out all resource intensive tasks at the beginning, middle, and end of your day, the furthest apart.

Cooking

Best way to save power on cooking is to plan your meals. Setting up times (Like breakfast, lunch, and dinner) can prevent unneeded power waste by snacking. Setting up times which you eat is a healthy way to set yourself a schedule of daytime and nighttime tasks.

Cook dinner while cooking breakfast. Using a wood burning stove to cook breakfast is a good tip. But using your wood burning stove to cook breakfast, then using a crock-pot or large caste iron cooker.to start thawing and cooking your dinner can help a lot too. It will make your house smell great, and set you up for a warm meal after a hard day.

While a warm breakfast and warm dinner is nice, since noon is both the hottest part of the day, and also lunchtime. Try having a cold or room-temperature lunch. A salad, sandwich, glass of water can cut power usage by not adding a 3rd hot meal to the list.

Back to the wood stove. The wood stove while not needed, it going to be heavily wanted. This is your hearth. Keeping a kettle or pot of water on the stove through the day can help a lot. It prevents you from waiting for hot water when you need it. But also lets you cheat your way into some easy meals or drinks. Hot tea and coffee throughout your day is a nice morale booster, but also a hot feet soak after a long day outside can feel great too.

LEFTOVERS! Whatever your don't eat can be stored and saved for tomorrow. It will save time and cut costs in the long term. And if you are picky about it, just add from yesterday with what you are having today. More helpings, less cost.

Hot Water

Mentioned before and mentioned again. WOOD BURNING STOVE. Keeping a large enough stove near or in your home can be hyper practical. Like heating a large pot of water for your bath or shower.

Using a solar still. While this is used to purify drinking water, using the power of the sun to heat your water can also help too. Using 55 gallon water drums of filtered rain water, you can coat the outside in black tarp, along with insulation to quickly heat your water to a comfortable temperature. It won't be boiling hot, but good enough for a bath, shower, or dishes.

Turn your old boiler or water heater into an Immersion Heater. Threading a copper coil coated in PFA can allow you to electric power to heat your water, and can be hooked up to a solar element.

Also mentioned previously, insulate everything. Insulating your pipes and water elements can keep your hot water... HOT. Wrapping pipes in coated pool noodles and a wool blanket around your water heater (solar or otherwise) can cut the time of heating your water down, and keep it hotter for longer.

Use less. Save more. Using less hot water of course is an easy alternative to power consumption. The shorter the use, the more you have for later.

Lights

This is the easiest of the list since there are plenty of alternative lighting on the market. But you can start by living your day, through the day, and sleeping at night. Waking up during sunrise and getting ready for bed at sunset. It is the quickest and easiest way to avoid the lighting issue.

Using solar LED lights. LED's shine brighter, last longer, and use less power than their traditional counterparts. So installing some LED solar lights around the edges of your home, and near windows, can save you a lot in terms of cost and power.

Use candles and oil lamps. Going back to traditional lighting sources may be the answer. Using kerosene lamps and tea candles, while dim, can provide enough light to work in.

Common Alternative Power Solutions

Solar

Wind Turbine

Geothermal Heat Pump

Hydro Electric

Primitive

A little bit of everything

WaterWe talked a lot about heating water in the previous section. But how are we going to get water? This is going to be a bit shorter than the previous sections.

A Well or Spring - Some land has natural springs you can tap into, but this might be rare in your area. The alternative is to hand dig a well. But this is labor intensive and subject to not only the elements, the the ground water, run-off, and seasons.

Cache Rainwater - This is by far the simplest solution because all you have to do is make use of the natural structures of the home, applying some gutters with a catch or filter to remove debris, and pipe it into several 55 gallon drums. Though as the name implies, you need to have an good amount of rain, to cache rainwater.

A Pond, Creek, or River - If you are lucky and have a natural water element near your home, you can divert a natural pond, creek, or stream to collect and filter water. This can also help you implement a hydro electric power source.

From the Air - Mentioned previously, using a dehumidifier to collect water from the air, while maybe not enough to take a bath with. Can be enough for some smaller tasks.

Hauling grid water, Off grid - My least favorite from the list, is bringing grid water, off grid. Collecting water in several drums from the back of your truck, hauling it into your land, and pumping it into a large tank to store your water. Its expensive, labor intensive, and not all that interesting.

FoodNow that we have some core essentials out of the way. Now we can look at ways at cutting back every on grid food method into a off grid solution. Most of these are mentioned previously and I won't go into too much details beyond method. Farming is farming, and there is a lot that goes into that.

Farming Plants and Animals (Listed Above) - Look into Composting, Grey Water solutions, Trash Waste Solutions, and your animals dietary needs (What you don't eat, maybe they can).

Food Preservation - Using Dehydration, canning, fermentation, smoking, curing, and sub-ground cooling. Can all be great ways to store excess food for when you need it.

Dig yourself a freshwater pond - Filling a large hand dug pond can be a good source of food, seasonal breeding cycles of freshwater fish happen often enough and without much human intervention to keep you stocked on food, at least during season.

Learn to hunt - Hunting seasons are all year round on some areas, checking local laws for seasonal animals and permit requirements can be a good way to make sure your home is stocked year round. Some animals such as Deer, Turkey, wild boar, and small game (Squirrels and some birds) are all human edible and in season regularly. Just make sure you know how to prepare them.

This should wrap up this quick Living Off Grid guide. I will be sure to return and add more as I learn more.Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_States

https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/land0819.pdf

https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/united-states

https://www.moneytalks.co.nz/9-ways-to-save-on-your-power-bill/

https://misadventuresmag.com/how-to-candle-space-heater/

https://www.amazon.com/Panda-Compact-Portable-Washing-Capacity/dp/B00AW04ZMM

https://hackaday.com/2014/05/21/candle-powered-fan-keeps-you-cool-using-a-thermoelectric-generator/

https://www.boilercentral.com/guides/immersion-heater-what-is-it/