If you are going to live off the grid, then the first few things that come into mind are land, housing, and how you will live there without the facilities you currently have on the grid. It is not easy, but it is entirely doable to live off the grid and have a good sustainable life.
In this article, I will focus on telling the information about off grid house. What is the meaning off grid house, how you can have one, what does it require to sustain, and this article will help you to overcome issues that you might have regarding the plan of your off grid home.
What does it mean by living in an off-grid house
A grid is a laid-out plan by a city or state to provide facilities to the people living within it. The facilities that are included are mainly Electricity, Heating, Gas, Sewage, etc. Though Grid is mainly aimed at Electricity generation, it can be said so for other common facilities.
If your house doesn’t use the electricity provided by the city then you are living in an off-grid house even if you are in the city and using other facilities. It is not completely off-grid but you can save money by using renewable energy like solar energy. Not only that, you can even provide extra power you generate to the government and earn money which is pretty cool.
And there are people who go completely off the grid by having their own renewable power system, heating, Gas, sewage, etc. And to do that, they live in a remote area.
Homesteading and off-grid living what is the difference
By going off the grid you are more likely to be self-sustainable in terms of power generation and other facilities. In addition to that homesteading is like going far more than that. Having a separate food chain, growing your own food, having farm animals and raising them, creating your own things. It is like relying on your own self as much as possible.
Buying an off grid house vs Building an off grid home
If you do not want the hassle to build your own off-grid home then you most probably have to buy the one which is already made by others. The possibility of finding what you want may be less and you probably have to invest extra to make it according to your need. Building off grid home by yourself requires extra effort but the investment is worthy, as you are making just what you need.
How to find Off grid House for sale
Finding The off grid home according to your need is not an easy task either. Your preferred location might not have what you need and then the house you looking for is not in the right location as you preferred. But you can look in several sources to find them.
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Online Classified Ads Websites
Nowadays there are many online websites where people sell their property. Check those ads meet them and inquire more using a lawyer. -
Real estate agent
Go to a nearby real estate agent office in your preferred area and ask them if they have any house that suits your need. -
Auction
There are many houses that are sold in an auction. Keep an eye on them and you might find what you are looking for. -
Local newspapers or magazines
Sometimes you may find people posting news about selling houses in Local newspapers or magazines especially people from remote areas. -
Friends and relatives
Ask your friend or relatives. Tell them your plan and ask them if they have someone selling the type of house.
Building an off-grid home
While building off grid home, there are many things to consider. Layout, structure, type of renewable power to use, heating or ventilation system, sewage septic system, etc. Now we are going to go through most of them in the following sections.
Off grid house Structure and Layout
The structure is an important thing in building a house. Especially since you are on your own, having an efficient one going to make your other process easier. Depending on your need may be considering going for wooden or concrete materials.
Whether going for a concrete structure or wooden structure is up to the region you are living in. If you are living in a place with warmer temperature then you can consider making the concrete home as you do not need insulation that much to keep your room warm. And concrete structure lasts longer than a wooden one and requires less maintenance. On the other hand, if you are in an area where the temperature is low and you require your room to be heated during winter then you should go for a wooden Home.
Why go for the wooden house? It is because the conductivity of wood is very less than that of concrete. So the cold temperature outside will have less impact on your house and that will require less energy to heat up your room. The caveat of a wooden house is that it requires maintenance and lasts less than of concrete. So, considering this factor you can choose which type you would like to have while building your off-grid home.
For the layout and size of the house, you may consider a smaller one with the option to expand. Initially, if you are going off grid you have to manage the power consumption. So, having small house will require less amount of energy to function. Later on, you can expand when you have more energy than you can consume.
Renewable Energy and off grid power systems
To run household stuff, you need energy and since you are living off the grid the first thing you should consider is renewable one.
Although there are other options rather than renewable ones like having a generator or biogas. And I would not recommend you to go for that since it is going to leave carbon footprint on the environment, and having renewable energy means it is a never-ending supply of energy and good for the environment.
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Solar Power
Solar Power is one of the most popular renewable energy sources. The Sun is the main energy source for our whole galaxy, it emits energy in form of light. Normally plants can absorb that energy but we cannot. We invented a photovoltaic cell that can convert the solar radiant light into electricity and we call it a solar panel. Thanks to that now we have never-ending power sources.
Among all the renewable energy sources solar power might be good option for your off grid home.
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Wind Power
Another source of renewable energy is wind power. A big fan rotates due to the wind and generates electricity. It basically follows the same principle as generator. Generator rotates due to fossil fuel energy but here in this case it rotates due to the wind pressure.If you buy or build a house in an area where you have a lot of wind pressure then you can also consider setting up a wind turbine to generate wind power for you house. Although the caveat is that, it produces noise. So, it is better to place a bit far from your house.
Wind power is more costly and need proper maintenance to function. If you find better solar radiation in your area then it is better to go for solar rather than setup wind turbine.
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Hydro Power
If your area has a water stream or river then you can consider making a mini hydro power setup for generating power. The speed and the elevation of the stream is important factor in generating this electricity as because due to the speed of stream the turbine rotates and generate electricity.Hydro power is still one of the largest energy sources in even conventional power generation method. So hydro power can be an option for your off grid home if you have stream of water sources nearby.
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Inverter
In case of all renewable energy, inverter is common equipment you need to have. It converts DC (direct current) into AC (alternating current). Most of the appliances we use in our daily life operate with AC. And the power we store in a battery from renewable sources is going to provide DC. So, it’s important to have a good inverter to control the power supply and receive AC power to run the appliances.There are many types of inverters with advantages and disadvantages. So, consider having a good inverter for your off grid home power system.
The water system for off grid home
There are many types of water sources you can consider for your off grid home water system.
If you have a lake or river nearby then you can Pump water through a Motor and then use it in your house. Though you have to purify it through boiling or another filtering method.
You can also dig a deep well and pump water from the ground. In this case, you need to have a proper water level underground. The benefit of a Deep well is that it provides clean sources of water.
Another method is harvesting rainwater and storing it in a large tank. This method is popular in remote areas. But you have to clean the tank periodically.
Heating system for off grid home
If you have solar system then you can use it for passively heat your house in a low amount during the day time. Additionally, you can use LPG gas or burn wood or biomass for heating up the house.
Sewage septic system for off grid home
For waste water from your off grid house, you need to consider a septic tank underground to store the waste. it separates the sludges and water. The septic system treats the aerobic bacteria and dispose them to the ground layer. There are many types of septic systems you can use in your off grid house. It all depends on your preference and environmental friendliness.
So these are the most important things you need to have in your plan while you are going for building off grid house. Either you are buying the existing one or building the new one, you have to keep all these in your mind to be efficient.
