Not much traffic!
We have been in the process these last two years of adding some conveniences to our off-the-grid homestead. Now for any new people that have just come to my blog, off-the-grid may need a little explanation. Off-the-grid means that our home is not connected to the electrical utility grid. We have to generate our own electricity or live without it.
Road to our homestead!
Has it been hard? Not really any harder than paying the bills to the local electric company would be. Why do we do it? Most people naturally think it is just because it is cheaper. That is not really why. It is for the independence and freedom it gives us. Nobody has the right to tell us what we can do or not do with our
system.
Our first solar panel!
We have always planned to grow the system. And we have. Starting out with one solar panel that we used mainly for lights, and at the time, our small tv that had a VHS tape player in it.We used kerosene lights for lighting and still use a couple on and off. Even though we now have some electric lights in the house, sometimes we have to limit using them due to how much power is coming in.
Directly across the road from our house!
So many people contact me saying they want to live off-the-grid and how can they do this? They seem to think they can buy a cheap solar panel and hook it up to their refrigerator or water pump. It is not that simple. There are components you need in the hook up as well as wiring and batteries.
Solar panels are on the barn roof now!
Spend some time learning about off-the-grid systems first before buying a solar panel or wind turbine. There are a lot of good sites on the internet that are full of information. Many forums have people who are more than happy to give you their opinion on what you need or what they do. Remember to do your research as there is no one way to do it. I do it differently than most people, but it may not be right for you.
Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
8 comments:
Your blog is always inspiring. Love the pix and wish I had a hidden spot to live in just as you do.
Kat, is it expensive to get started with solar power? Or has the price come down?
There is a fellow living close to us - because his driveway is so long, he learned it would be as expensive to go solar than having hydro brought in. So he went solar - that was probably 15 years ago and at that time, solar was I think more expensive than it is now.
Living off the grid like you do sounds exciting! I would love to be able to not pay my utility bill.
I just love your pictures, Kat, and I always learn something when I visit. Thanks for that. :)
Annie, it CAN be expensive, it depends on how big a system you start with. If you want to begin and are still hooked up to the grid, you can build a small system, like with one panel and a couple batteries, and a very small charge controller. Then just hook your lights, computer and tv to it. It will cut your electric bill while you learn how to build a system.
I would love to go hang out in your neck of the woods!
Awesome photos! Wow! You are quite 'self sufficient' and very creative and work very hard at it I am sure ~ Wow! ~ namaste, Carol (A Creative Harbor) ~ ^_^ and (Share the Creative Journey)
Thank you Carol! I like this lifestyle. It seems to make the day to day chores not so boring.
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