Going “off-grid” doesn’t actually require a huge life change.  Everything will be the same except you will use alternative energy sources away from main power grids.

“Off-grid” means that you will be separated from the power source that delivers electricity and other resources to the rest of the community.  Think of all your bills– Electric, water, sewage, heating, etc.  They all stem from some company that gives everyone the same services.

Now think of all the money you can save by creating your own energy sources like wind generators or solar energy options that will make you capable of living independently.

Here’s an idea for you to think about.  Harvesting rainwater.  By digging a well and installing a water pump, you can collect rain water that is ready at your fingertips.

Not everyone goes off-grid immediately in every aspect.  It takes time and effort.  People will use the money they saved on other energy sources they’ve cut out to continue the cycle of becoming independent.

Imagine never having to pay for electricity again.  It’s possible.  More and more people today are creating their own alternative energy sources by creating wind and solar energy systems.  This drastically lowers their bills.

Try starting slow and gradually considering which connections you want to try to cut first.  Think about what you need most and how you can use different methods.  For instance, if you live in a colder environment and are dependent on heating, think about wood stoves and geothermal heating options rather than heating systems.

If this is something that you are serious about, check out more information online and you can find more ways to make your transition off the grid so much easier!  You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Green Living

• Get Off the Grid With Geothermal Heating and Solar Panels!
• Ways you can use solar energy at home….and why you should
• Interested in Living off the Grid?

Geothermal Air Conditioning

When people talk about geothermal energy, they usually mean geothermal power generation. This a method that extracts boiling hot water from large underground reservoirs, and by sending it through a steam turbine, we convert the heat to electrical energy.

This would of course be a bit pricey for you (not to mention it most likely is not possible to do so in your area), but there are other ways to tap into this energy source. Geothermal energy is also a term used to describe the stable temperatures we find just a few feet under the ground. You are probably already aware of the fact that the sea resists temperature changes above water levels; it keeps the heat energy better than most other things. This is also true for the ground.

When the temperature above the ground is colder than the heat we find a few meter below, we can use this difference to provide a stable stream of heat into your house. The amount of electricity that is required to enable this process is about a fifth of what’s required with normal heating. This is in many ways how a conventional heat pump works, except in many cases a geothermal solution would be even more beneficial.

Solar Panels

I will not go deep into the technology of solar cells in much detail, however, I will give you the basics: PV-cells (also known as photovoltaic cells) are responsible for turning photons (sunlight) into electrons in motion through a circuit. This is a current.

If we add enough of these cells together, we can soon generate enough electricity to supply your house, and in some cases even more.

The thing about solar panels is that you would benefit from a battery that stores the solar energy chemically for later use. This is especially important if you don’t have a stable source of solar energy available (which will most likely be the case).

I hope you got a lot out of this article, and if you want to read up on similar technologies, go to EnergyInformative.org.

Green Living

• Living off the Grid – A viable option?
• Living off the Sun! Is it really possible?
• Global Warming and What We Can Do To Fight It
• Renewable and Green Energy Sources is the Future
• Efficient Measures for Conserving Energy and Saving Money