Living off the grid

Power Options
Water Systems
Sewage Disposal Methods
Heating Sources
Appliances
Lighting Fixtures

Living off the grid is not the same as living on it!

Making thoughtful consumption decisions is something most people aren’t used to. You can’t have your TV turned on all day if you’re trying to conserve electricity. The benefits of living off the grid can be very rewarding for those who can make the adjustments. The initial cost of setting up an off-the-grid house is more expensive than conventional on-the-grid, but in the long run there are many benefits - no more utility bills, no power outages, less contribution to global warming, clean, pure rain water and an overwhelming feeling that you are in charge and not dependent on large utilities. Living on-the-grid is a “no-brainer” and cheaper to set up. But if you have property that is far from utilities you may have no choice but to use alternatives, possibly saving money on the initial set up and definitely saving money in the long run.

Some things just can’t be replaced easily without fossil fuels yet. A hot water heater works best if you help it along with solar pre-heaters, but the best heavy-hitting energy source to get it hot, is propane or gas.

"...no more utility bills,
no power outages, less
contribution to global
warming, clean, pure
rain water and an
overwhelming feeling that
you are in charge."

You can put a water jacket in your wood stove or heat a big pot of water on the stove for your bath, but it’s easier to use a propane or gas hot water heater. Wood stoves are great for cooking, but a gas stove is easier. You choose how rustic you want to be and how much inconvenience you are willing to endure to decrease your footprint on the environment. For me, filling a propane bottle every once in a while is a minor sin. Small Home Oregon is always available to help you through this decision making process. Each individual case is unique and we encourage every prospective home buyer to call or email and let us be part of that process.

The prices listed are estimates (as of November 2007) and include materials only. They do not include the cost of installation. They are the cost for new materials so don’t forget that if you want to hunt for used materials they are often abundantly available on web sites such as Craigslist. Your efforts can save you a bunch of money. Because there are so many options for off the grid accessories and because of the fluctuation of labor costs and materials, please call Small Home Oregon for an up to the minute cost on all materials and installation.

Power (Back to top)

Photovoltaic Systems

The effectiveness of photovoltaic options varies greatly depending on where you’re located. For example, in the Pacific Northwest we have trouble in the winter getting enough sun to make a PV system work well. However, there are alternatives to help beef up your system including very large arrays of solar panels, lots of batteries charged up to tide you over on those long, dark days and/or invest in a little generator for times that the

"PV systems work best
if you carefully watch
how much electricity
you use."

batteries are running low. Generators are getting quieter and less expensive these days (4 cycle only please), and if you put them in a little insulated box outdoors, you can hardly hear them run at all.

PV systems work best if you carefully watch how much electricity you use. Some things just aren’t good to put on your PV electrical system, such as heaters, refrigerators, large blowers or fans, and big audio or video systems. It’s also best to have a big switch that turns everything off when you leave the house to eliminate those phantom loads. You will need a small inverter to power any items that will not run on DC, such as your laptop, But with all the gismos that are made for cars, boats, and RV’s there are usually lots of alternatives.

To learn more about these systems, visit www.mrsunsolar.com

Off-the-grid PV Systems: ($1,500 to $3,000)— An off-the-grid PV system, sometimes called a stand-alone system, is designed to provide electricity to a home without drawing on supplemental power from the electrical utility. These systems consist of a PV array, controls, a battery bank, and usually a small inverter. A small house helps limit the need for a large system so the cost will depend on what you want to power with your PV system. An off-the-grid PV system usually is a Direct Current (DC) system that operates off batteries, like the systems found in boats and RV’s. If you have Alternating Current (AC) available from your local electrical utility, you might want to wire your Small Home with two sets of wires so that both DC and AC are available throughout your home.

Good source for ready-made systems: www.mrsolar.com

The basics for off-the-grid PV systems: www.the-mrea.org (.pdf)

You can search the Internet and find lots of information on this subject.

On-the-grid PV Systems: ($10,000 to $25,000)— Photovoltaic (PV) power systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. A residential on-the-grid PV power system enables a homeowner to generate some or all of their daily electrical energy demand on their own roof, exchanging daytime excess power for future energy needs (nighttime usage). The house remains connected to the electric utility at all times, so any power needed above what the solar system can produce is simply drawn from the utility. PV systems can also include battery backup for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capability, to operate selected circuits in the home for hours or days during a utility outage.

The basics for on-the-grid PV systems: www.abcsolar.com (.pdf)

Generator - $900 to $1,200

A generator is a common source of backup power and can be counted on for those times that your PV system isn't running at full strength due to a lack of sun. If you're worried about noise, you can use an insulated box to muffle the sound.

Water (Back to top)

Water Harvesting - $1,500 to $3,000

There is nothing better than taking a shower in the soft rain water that you have captured in your system, or drinking fresh, clean water that has nothing added. The benefits, however, come with some inconveniences. A metal roof is the best to collect the water. Water should be screened and filtered before it goes into the holding tank (cistern), and you need to find a way to get it up (hand pump, DC or AC pump), into an elevated tank, which needs to be protected from freezing, so that you have a minimal amount of water pressure. It’s best to have the holding tank buried so that it doesn’t freeze, with an access hatch so you can clean it out, and it usually needs to be quite large (500 gallons or larger). If you live in an area that has lots of rain, you won’t need to worry about always having enough water. Besides for $50 or so, you can get a tanker to fill up your tank if it goes empty.

Big system and PV info: www.solarhaven.org

Sewer (Back to top)

Gray Water Disposal Systems - $300

Gray water is waste water from sinks and bathing (showers & tubs). All our Small Houses are plumbed so that gray water is kept separate from black water (from a toilet) until just before the two pipes are hooked up to a sewer. This arrangement makes it easy if you want to harvest the gray water for on site disposal or irrigation.

Ready made systems at good prices: www.thenaturalhome.com

Toilet Systems

There are three basic types of off-the-grid toilet systems.

Compost System: ($1,500 to $1,800)— This method simply collects human waste and slowly, naturally, with a little bacteria starter added once in a while, turns human waste into a dry, coffee ground-like material that doesn’t stink and can be used to fertilize the garden. The only problem with the system is that during cold, damp weather the systems work very slow. They need to be warmed and the air needs to be circulated so if you live most of the time in your Small Home, or if you install a small heater and circulation fan, it’s not a problem.

Heat (Back to top)

Wood Stove - $900 (including pipe)

Nothing beats the warm dry heat of a wood stove. The newer units produce very few pollutants, and, if you have a ready source of dry wood, they can heat your little house in a flash. Wood stoves can be a fire hazard so they need to be installed correctly and you need to learn how to use them safely.

Radiant Floor Heat - $2,000

I know it doesn’t sound likely but this is a great alternative. Radiant floor heating systems work off the potable hot water in your small house. All they require is a rheostat and a small DC pump to keep the warm water circulating under your floor boards. They are very efficient and provide a constant warm temperature everywhere in you new home.

Propane Heaters - $600 (2ea. at $300ea.)

I’m not a great fan of these but some people like them, mostly in RV’s and motor homes. They are inexpensive, easy to install, and, if you are already using a propane tank, they will probably work fine.

Appliances (Back to top)

Forget about air conditioners, big refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers. Remember, you are off the grid. Think of this experience as a time to slow down, get a little more exercise, and smell the roses.

Gas Stove - $450

RV type that runs on propane. Has 3 burners and an oven.

Gas Refrigerator - $1,500

Very small 24”, 7.5 cu ft, Gas or DC (2-Way)

Lighting (Back to top)

Personally, I like kerosene lanterns, candles, and oil lamps. Sometimes though, it’s nice to just hit the switch and have lots of bright light. If you have DC, the best lighting is fluorescent. There are warm white bulbs now so the light isn’t quite so cold and blaring, and it's profuse using relatively little electricity. LEDs are becoming more available, but they are usually quite expensive. They do, however, produce lots of light with almost no electricity and they never burn out.

Fluorescent Fixtures - $50 to $75