OK, is ANYONE here really off the grid ?

self ^ | January 3, 2015 | knarf

[knarf]

I got an e-mail that had one of those, "I'm just a regular guy but I've discovered the secret ... " type message ...

[chuckles]

Most homes have a 200 amp main in the box. Lets say you think you can make it on under 100 amps. My 5kw generator puts out 30 amps under full load, so that equals 15kw to run a normal house. Of course there are times you don't run a tenth of that, but you never know. Now consider what you would have to have to run even 10kw to get a few window units and a couple of bulbs and other toys. You need a pond the size of a football field to get the head pressure needed to turn a 10kw under load. You need a yard full of solar panels to get even 3kw with batteries. Then think about maintenance.

IMO, the way yo go would be to start to build a water converter to H2 and save it in a tank during quiet times and use it when you need it. There is a web site dedicated to off the grid somewhere in New Jersey where a guy did it. It was about $250k investment, but he even ran his boat and cars on H2. The most obvious problem was the acre or so of solar panels on his house and yard.( God forbid a hail storm) How long would it take to pay $250k @ 271 a month. If you can get nat gas to your home, that's the answer. Nat gas will be cheap for the near future. Coal would even be cheaper but that means a fire in the house again.

[Baynative]

The many variations of Red neck A/C (above) are cheap and doable.

[Alas Babylon!]

Hey, that’s awesome! I’m gonna try that this spring!

Still, how many will I need for my 3600 sqft home?

[CodeToad]

Outside of a good woodstove, there really isn’t a good way to produce heat cheaply. Even solar is expensive up front and can never pay for itself, not even 25 years later.

The best investment is insulation. Insulating the windows and ensuring the doors have good quality seals is some of the most effective means at insulation.

[wintertime]

I just had to check out that video. **VERY** clever! :-)

[angry elephant]

Yes! I’m surfing on the Non-grid connected internet as we speak.”

Are you Al Gore? Did you invent another internet, a green one?

[Alas Babylon!]

What about coal gasification? Could that be done on a smaller scale than industrialization, say for a couple of homes in coal country?

[ataDude]

“...they don’t produce mush heat.”

I detest mush heat. It’s inefficient and harmful to small creatures. :-)

[Abby4116]

A friend has a double-wide mobile home and uses a pellet stove in the living room. It does a fairly good job of heating the home (which has propane heat). She has virtually eliminated the propane bill (other than cooking and hot water) and it is nice and toasty in there all winter.

Daughter has a pellet furnace which is stand-alone outside and connected to her boiler. It supplies their heat and hot water. She has oil back up but oil usage is way down. There have been several repairs on the pellet furnace over the past 6 or so years but it has more than paid for itself.

[Mercat]

We have county electricity.

[outofsalt]

This set up will keep a small space from getting wicked cold. There are many variations on this pottery + candles concept but it won't heat a house.

[Yosemitest]

I want to but I don't have the money.
Check out this Youtube search on the subject.

[Yosemitest]

There are wood burning hot water heaters also.

[knarf]

How do you keep 400 gal gas conditioned for a length of time ?

Underground tank ?

[TADSLOS]

I’m not logged in. Does that count?

[thackney]

Since at the heater itself electric heat is pretty close to 100% efficient.

How do you get an electric heating element that is not completely 100% efficient?

What would be the losses if not heat?

[AppyPappy]

Same BTU as 4 candles

[knarf]

If it’s already hot water ... it doesn’t need to be heated ... I know, of course, you meant water heater.

[Pollster1]

Do you use a regular inverter or micro-inverters (Enphase or similar) with your solar? How much solar? Any thoughts on the choices you made there?

[leapfrog0202]

The only place I’ve seen it work for real is Taos NM earthship community.
Enough sun to get you thru the winter on solar and homes half buried keeps it cool in summer.

Plus an entire community of experts on the topic who live there.
Too bad they are almost all liberals.

---

They absolutely are liberals. We live in Albuquerque and drove up for a day to see what we could learn, if anything, that would apply to our home. The people we spoke to in the earthship community were really out there -— way out.