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For those of you who are interested my husband and I built an Off Grid home one year ago. Our goal was not really to be green but to see if we could do it. We have learned in the past year to conserve quite a bit. We use very little electric now and about 95% of our power comes from the sun. We had some instances during the winter when we had to use our generator for back up power. My husband designed and installed our system 3 different times but I think he got it now. I could never live without electric so the solar is great for us. We really wanted to see if we could survive in comfort without the electric company and we can.
We learn more and more each day. Through a lot of trial and error it has been a wonderful experience and we are still learning as we go. Along with producing our own power I am also learning to garden to produce some of our own food in the summer. This is a big thing for a former city girl. Although to a lot of you this is a small thing, it has provided me with a lot of happiness and it saves on the grocery bill, lol. It's all about taking small steps to become more reliable on yourself.
So c'mon over and visit. Hopefully we can all learn from each other. We are by no means experts. We are just a hard working couple going after one of many of our dreams.
Have a wonderful day.
Lisa
Hi
I came across your posting yesterday just by chance and spent the better part of last night reading them and looking at your pictures. I have really enjoyed them. Have you consolidated all you stuff in one place such as a website? I have to ask also, although you may have already talked about it. Is this a lifestyle change or an experiment? I have lived in Europe but it was not meant to be permanent just an experience. I always had the knowledge it was not really a commitment and I could bail out anytime I wanted. That made it more of a adventure then a real lifestyle change or commitment. Just curious.
Congrats ! This is great and it will help even more in the long run when others join you in improving our environment .
I wish we could afford to go green, but we are real misers when it comes to energy and do what we can to conserve .
You're doing great. Conservation in what we use is the best solution. Now if we could just get rid of all the darned unnecessary lights and clocks on our electronics. I have no idea why we allow people's houses to look like Christmas trees when we have everything off.
You're doing great. Conservation in what we use is the best solution. Now if we could just get rid of all the darned unnecessary lights and clocks on our electronics. I have no idea why we allow people's houses to look like Christmas trees when we have everything off.
I'm not off grid like you but I will say Amen! I hate all the clocks on everything electronic we own practically.
You're doing great. Conservation in what we use is the best solution. Now if we could just get rid of all the darned unnecessary lights and clocks on our electronics. I have no idea why we allow people's houses to look like Christmas trees when we have everything off.
First of all, early congrats on "year two"; you guys are almost there!
My SO had to research these for his workplace and we are switching over here at the house. They eliminate "idle current" and you only have to toggle one switch (instead of unplugging a bunch of appliances).
Happy Anniversary! My husband is in a class for environmental science and he's sharing your story with his college class so he sent me to find it here for him. You're famous!
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you're best bet is to write into my Off Grid story in the TN forum. I check that daily
. I have no idea why we allow people's houses to look like Christmas trees when we have everything off.
