Thread: Thinking bout going off the grid

Don't believe anything Al Gore says. You be fine.

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Investments in energy efficiency may give the fastest return.

This!

Originally Posted by BAMA S

Searay. If you foam your roofline it can cut your power bills 25-50percemt. And I'll keep it cool in attic

Also if your roof is white metal, reflect instead of absorb.

Originally Posted by Tracker123

Also if your roof is white metal, reflect instead of absorb.

Galvaluim is even better, makes a big difference and us country folks aint got to be all that fancy!!!!

You're right John, have white metal on mine out here in the country. Not as pretty (to some) as black asphalt shingles, as some prefer to look "traditional." Whatever that means.

Big thing I see with energy is "IF" your power company has the ability (or offers) the ability to back feed the grid. Of course, my local one does with one exception... you won't get paid for it. They do not have the meter technology to be able to reverse what you are adding and what you are pulling from the grid. Everyone wants you to go green but at a considerable cost that most of us will not begin to see in our lifetime.

I live in Michigan and we obviously spend more on heating then on cooling. I added geothermal several years ago. This year I took the liberty of having foam shot into all my walls. It isn't as good as starting from a bare skeletal structure, but it takes up all the voids the insulation didn't hit. It made a big difference.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to spend several days in the Alaskan bush with a retired commercial fisherman in his home. This was a yellow pine log home (about 20 inch diameter trees) and was located about 1 hour (by boat) from the Island town of Wrangle Alaska. He was, to say the least, completely off the grid. I asked a ton of questions while I was with him. His words to me were.. "I'm not very smart when it comes to all this". In my opinion, the man was a genius!

His home was not small by any means and had all the comforts that mine does. Washer, dryer, microwave, oven, range, lights, satellite TV, you name it. He sourced his power three different ways.

First, he had a small stream (really small) that flowed on his property and ended in the bay. He utilized hydroelectricity to charge a bank of batteries. Next, being as he is in a temperate rain forest and it rains all the time, he used hydroelectricity inside his down spouts coming off from his metal roof. The rain water (perfect PH level) was collected in a 500 gallon enclosed cattle tank set in a very well insulated structure directly below the stilts on his house. He used this water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and so on. Hot water was supplied via on demand electric water heater. To supplement what he was not producing, he had a big diesel generator that topped off his batteries. The generator ran once every 2.5 days and only for about an hour.

I asked him how often his generator would run without the hydro electric. He told me it would run 2 hours every day. Keep in mind the stream was small. I wish I had one close to my house. Doing the math on the amount of batteries he had and the cost of fuel every couple of days vice electricity going to my house and it easily paid for itself in short order.

My suggestion if you want energy to pay for itself. Get some form of generation (wind, solar, hydro) and a bank of batteries. Separately wire different circuits in your house (microwave, lights... a few different items) and run them from your bank. This way you are not wasting stored energy as you would select the circuits you utilize all the time. Thus, saving you money by not having to "pay the man" when the bill comes due. Who knows how much we utilize with just our microwave alone each month but sometimes that is all it takes to make a difference.

My two cents anyway