If you live in an urban or suburban area, you are unlikely to have access to several acres of land to grow food for your family. Still, you shouldn’t give up on your dream of self-sufficiency. To be self-sufficient, some families use 5 acres to produce a years’ worth of food, whereas others use only…
When I first considered using an off-grid solar set up in my home, I found choosing a battery complicated and confusing. As a result, I researched everything I could find to get the most useful information. The best battery for a solar power system is a lithium-Ion single unit storage system like the Tesla Powerwall…
Buying and installing solar panels is one of the most momentous tasks of taking your home off-grid. When you finally take the plunge, it’s important to know how long they will last. Solar panels last for at least 25 years. Throughout their use, they slowly degrade which reduces their output over time. Most panels will continue…
When I think about living off-grid, I think about saving money. But, as soon as I started pricing up some of the necessary equipment, I realized that it can be far from cheap. Between $60,000 and $100,000 covers most things you will need to get you started off-grid. The exact cost depends on several factors,…
Estimates show that between 180,000 and 2 million people live off-grid in the US, yet many governments and authorities strongly oppose it. Before you go off-grid yourself you must know what legal restrictions you might face. In many states, disconnecting from the power grid is entirely lawful, but some local regulations may require you to…
For some people, ‘off-grid’ means entirely self-contained with no connection to the wider world. However, now more and more people want to go off-grid while staying connected to the internet. There are several ways to connect to the internet that are suitable for off-grid living. If you get a signal on your cell, you can…
Like many people, I once dreamed of moving to the remote wilderness of Alaska. But, is off-grid living in Alaska still achievable? Yes, living off-grid in Alaska is achievable. There are currently thousands of people living some form of off-grid life there. The terrain is incredibly tough, and many Alaskans live in ‘dry’ cabins without…
For me, living off-grid started with a fascination for remote environments and communities who still live a traditional way of life. There are many different reasons to live off the grid; what finally gives someone the final push to make the change to their living situation is often unique to them. Why should I live…
I used to have a fixed idea of an off-grid home. I pictured it as a log cabin on a bare hillside, covered in solar panels, and next to a tall wind turbine. This is what some off-grid homes look like, but there are many other types too. An off-grid home is any home that…
When my wife and I began to talk about going off-grid, we first discussed moving to a remote location. After our two girls were born, it seemed less of a possibility, that was until we realized we could live off-grid in our existing home. Once we realized it might happen, we started getting serious about…