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Old 11-16-2019, 08:39 PM
 
313 posts, read 265,268 times
Reputation: 603

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We're a family who always has something "on" or "running". Numerous appliances...We're not sure an off-grid/solar home can keep up with our electricity demand. I'd like to hear your stories and experiences living off grid, and if your set up supplies enough electricity for your family. We're factoring in a $30,000 cost to bring power to the build site. Thank you in advance, I look forward to your replies.
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Old 11-16-2019, 09:31 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,444 posts, read 65,798,103 times
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"Electricity demand"???

And you wanted radiant heat flooring or ductless mini-splits- how did you think those were going to work???

And a PlayStation or XBox is not a part of living "off-grid"- there is a lot of mental and physical demand living "off-grid". Playing a video game ain't gonna cut it!
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Old 11-16-2019, 09:37 PM
 
11,230 posts, read 9,243,847 times
Reputation: 32251
Don't even bother.
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Old 11-16-2019, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,382,398 times
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What about propane appliances? And generators? I had some friends who lived off grid in the mountains in WA and they had propane appliances, as well as wood heat, solar and a generator. The local propane company was used to driving to rural properties to deliver propane, and my friends filled up gas tanks to run the generator. You can also get LED lights and batteries.

Life might be different and you might have to adjust to maybe not having everything you want, but $30,000 could pay for other things that might be more important, like keeping your driveway graded, septic tank, well and pump, a great solar system, etc.

You could always try it off grid and see how you get along. Say commit to living off grid for a year and then decide.
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Old 11-16-2019, 09:46 PM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,415 posts, read 11,954,182 times
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Living off grid is like varsity camping, all the time. Power is not something you just flip a switch and have, it's something you are actively managing all the time, and most of your life energy would revolve around getting your basic survival needs met.
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Old 11-17-2019, 01:31 AM
 
313 posts, read 265,268 times
Reputation: 603
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
What about propane appliances? And generators? I had some friends who lived off grid in the mountains in WA and they had propane appliances, as well as wood heat, solar and a generator. The local propane company was used to driving to rural properties to deliver propane, and my friends filled up gas tanks to run the generator. You can also get LED lights and batteries.

Life might be different and you might have to adjust to maybe not having everything you want, but $30,000 could pay for other things that might be more important, like keeping your driveway graded, septic tank, well and pump, a great solar system, etc.

You could always try it off grid and see how you get along. Say commit to living off grid for a year and then decide.
Thank you. My husbands researched and talked with folks living this way who say it hasn't impacted their families. We'll use wind turbines, stream turbines, solar panels, whole house (propane) back up generator etc etc etc. We'll be ok..... I was hoping to hear from people who've lived off the power grid. People freak out when they hear those words, assuming you live way out in BFE, really roughing it in rugged mountain territory. I can totally see this based on the comments I'm receiving. We'll be15 minutes from town. Just not a part of the power grid; meaning we'll provide our own electricity..Not camping, roughing it, wearing animal pelts and sawing down trees.. That's a misconception....But hey, I gotta go now and get back to my game of Fortnite...
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Old 11-17-2019, 03:40 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Withinpines View Post
We're a family who always has something "on" or "running".
You still aren't saying WHERE. Where you are or plan to be.



But the answer is still no.
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Old 11-17-2019, 03:58 AM
 
Location: Moku Nui, Hawaii
11,048 posts, read 23,945,389 times
Reputation: 10901
If you're close enough to the grid to do a grid tied photovoltaic system, that's a no brainer as far as use goes.
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Old 11-17-2019, 06:00 AM
 
Location: equator
11,035 posts, read 6,586,897 times
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Oh, geez.

We lived off grid for 30 years (me for ten). When DH first built, the grid had not come to his "street" yet.
So he installed a mere 1K watt system back in the 80s.

Originally he had a propane fridge which IS a pain, but soon Energy-Star appliances came. We had a totally decent electric fridge and washing machine.

The latter we used when the sun was out. But we only do laundry once a week anyway. We had LED lights, big TV and stereo. We had a swamp-cooler for A/C and it worked fine (but it has to be a dry climate for that).

No dryer; hung our laundry out to dry. Power strips on everything which got turned off when not in use.

Had several golf-cart batteries for back-up, and we always had power when the grid went off in our community. This was outside Moab, UT where it's sunny most of the time.

Our system was old and outdated and one could do much better now.

Video games don't draw much current...we even had toasters and hair dryers, LOL.

Hardly "camping" and I've lived for years like THAT.
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Old 11-17-2019, 07:13 AM
 
51,618 posts, read 25,681,640 times
Reputation: 37806
We've lived off-grid. Propane refrigerator and stove. Wood furnace. Solar panel and batteries for lights, charging cell phones, etc. Small generator for vacuuming, wash machine, pump water into tank.

Not hard to set up and way less than $30K. Though I imagine for $30K one could set up a heck of a solar/wind generator system.

It's really not a big deal. During the winter, you load up the furnace once a day and set the thermostat. If it is cloudy and dark for days, you run the generator for an hour and charge the batteries.

We set this up thirty years ago in what is now our second home. We spend weeks at a time there without feeling deprived.

Only difference is the time and energy involved in getting seasoned wood for the wood furnace, hauling in propane tanks and gas for the generator.

We are thinking about updating the solar system. A lot has changed in thirty years.
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