“How many more subsidies is this guy getting for his little project?”
Actually, the most profound gain in energy efficiency is probably in the house design. If you start with that in mind and properly position windows and heat sinks, you can lop of 75% of the heating bill for a house.
Were America’s housing stock redesigned overnight to use passive solar, Natural Gas prices would plummet. It’s a huge difference and, if you are building from scratch, it’s cost efficient. Not like inefficient solar panels or windmills.
OTOH, I thought for a while how nice it would be to be off the grid. But in reality, you aren’t off the grid until you are sufficiently self sufficient that you don’t have to buy stuff to stay warm. If, for example, you are heating with wood, what happens when the last chainsaw blade breaks? Do you have (or want to use) a two handed saw?
If you are heating with passive solar, how do you replace the windows that collect the heat when they break. We’re pretty much tied into a high-tech economy one way or the other.
Good post. Passive solar can do a lot of the work. I’d like to get as close as possible to being off the grid. Good for this guy for trying.