Living Off the Grid

Wouldn’t it be fabulous to ban utility bills from your home forever? Well, more and more people in the United States and all over the world are choosing to say goodbye to their utility companies and decide living off the grid.

But what does it mean to live off the grid?

“The grid” is a common name for the power-grid – the linked system of power stations, substations and power lines that delivers electricity to the consumers.

A typical house is connected to power, water and telephone lines and often even to natural gas. Living off the grid means disconnecting from these services and providing for your very own electricity and water and taking care of your own waste water removal.

Click here if you want to create your own Off-Grid Electricity

Of course there are hybrid systems, where people only create their own electricity through solar or wind power or even both and still connect to the communal water and sewerage systems. Some might have their own solar or wind power systems installed and still be connected to the power companies’ supply lines as a back-up, use grid-power during low self-generation times and even feeding back or net metering during over production. Yet, others also collect rainwater or drill wells for water supply and build septic tanks for waste water to be completely independent from utility companies and therefore have no utility bills arriving in the mail anymore.

People living off the grid are usually much more aware of their consumption of these resources. Although it can be a great source of satisfaction to know you are using natural and renewable energy sources like solar or wind and collect your own water, it often does come at a price.

Living off the grid often does require a change in lifestyle. You might have to use water more sparingly, as water tanks do have a limited capacity. Maybe the car does not be washed this week and grey water from washing the dishes or the shower can be recycled and used in the garden. You also might have to be more mindful of which electrical appliances you can run concurrently. Having said this, alternative power systems can be designed these days to cater for most – even the more complex requirements.

Once you have adjusted to the restrictions of off grid living, the advantages are aplenty and not just the cost saving of no more utility bills. You become an active part of creating a healthier environment; reduce the consumption of non-renewable energy resources, help creating a planet we can proudly hand over to the next generation and be left unaffected by the next power-cut, to name a few.

Although it is difficult to get accurate figures it is estimated that nearly 200,000 households are unplugged from the grid in the United States alone. With ever increasing energy prices and the cost of off-grid technologies falling, this number is steadily rising.

If you are interested in becoming more self-reliant and self-sufficient and consider living off the grid, you might want to check out these easy ways of creating your own electric power.

For a complete, easy to follow guide, click here.

Click here if you want to create your own Off-Grid Electricity