Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"Off-the-grid homes are autonomous; ... What else could the "grid" refer to?
Living off the land or with minimal impact is something else.
Those tend to be taken together. The implication is that if someone is
"off-the-grid" then they are somehow more rugged and self-sufficient
than the rest of "us." Just because you looked it up, doesn't mean
that the definition makes sense.
What else could the "grid" refer to? I take it to refer to someone living
without the benefit of anything that modern society has to offer.
That means no manufactured products of any kind - including electricity.
Looking something up doesn't make the definition definitive.
It's not like looking up the spelling of a word or some historical event.
I had a similar "definition" tussle with someone here before who thought
that a forum "troll" was a noun ( creature that lives under a bridge )
instead of a verb ( casting out a line and dragging it behind, hoping
for a fish to bite ). They "looked it up" and quoted the text, but that
doesn't make it right either. A troll is a verb and not being connected
to a power line is not "off-grid." That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson
People lived OFF GRID for about a gazillion years before
Tomas Edison ... Quit being such a nay-sayer.
Why not? He's just being realistic.
The OP is not talking about living electricity-free, so the Amish and
Mr. Edison are not really relevant. I keep seeing it getting posted
here in the NM forums and I just don't see the point.
What else could the "grid" refer to? I take it to refer to someone living without the benefit of anything that modern society has to offer. That means no manufactured products of any kind - including electricity.
I've looked up "off the grid" on the internet, and haven't found anyone who agrees with your definition... they all agree with mine. Maybe you should invent a new term? Or maybe there is no point because the only people who are living via your definition are the Amish... some of them anyway.
I define "off the grid" as being disconnected with the electric utility system. I would not mind being off the grid in the right place but living without electricity or generating your own are both a lot of work and money.
I define "off the grid" as being disconnected with the electric utility system. I would not mind being off the grid in the right place but living without electricity or generating your own are both a lot of work and money.
Not necessarily. There is an excellent book out there entitled "Sunshine to Dollars" that shows you how you can set up a solar system for a very low cost. If you keen your electrical demands low you don't have to invest THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars. There are also many other alternatives such has having a cold room to store perishibles, or using in-ground storage, building a house that is very passively solar.
It is remarkable what a person can do if they make their mind up to do it. I hope the OP is not discouraged by all this negativity. It is infinitely do-able and a little googling around will unveil a wealth of information.
Not necessarily. There is an excellent book out there entitled "Sunshine to Dollars" that shows you how you can set up a solar system for a very low cost. If you keen your electrical demands low you don't have to invest THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars.
My guess, $40,000.00 or more.
Now show me a system with full specs to include prices...
What type of system does a typical 2000sqft home need?
That's a difficult question, because there is no typical when it comes to off-grid, particularly at that size.
You could make the case for the big one, the small one, or a much bigger one. That said, a grid-tied house, on the grid, of that size, would need about 6.9kW with perhaps 2-3 people living in it full time, running a moderate-to-heavy load (tower computers on 24/7, TV's, etc.), and relying on an additional heat source like propane.
If you install efficient appliances, skip the power hogs like refrigerated air, big TV's, and electric ranges and cooktops, tolerate the occasional brownout, and try to keep to DC only, something priced comparable to the 900W is very doable.
One thing I've found is that the people who actually end up building off-grid because they want to and can afford to (and can afford not to) tend to do just fine with these modest sorts of systems.
Some people try to save a buck by building off-grid, and are very pound foolish when it comes to what they set up. They end up running a genset, irritating their neighbors, and bad-mouthing both the installer and solar technology in general, because they weren't honest with themselves or anybody else about how they want to live.
I ask because we are in the planning stages of building in a house in Los Lunas, currently at just under 2500sqft. We do not want to be completely off the grid but do want to be as self sufficient from solar as possible. BUT, I do not want to give up the luxuries I have become accustomed to. I like my refrigerated air conditioning, big TV and other electronic devices. Also, because technology is what pays my bills.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
