Author: April Jordan
Links: ['https://www.theethicaledit.ca/about-1', 'https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-jordan/?originalSubdomain=ca']
Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Live-off-the-Grid
Read up on local property taxes and zoning laws as well. You may have to pay an annual tax for the land.
Ask if the property has “legal access,” which means it isn’t surrounded by either private or public land that could prevent you from accessing your own property.
Buying a rural home that you can convert to off-grid living. Check property listings online. Contact realtors about homes that pique your interest. Visit a few homes to get an idea of what each one offers and how easy it would be to take it off the grid.
Building an off-grid home from scratch. Work with a housing contractor that has lots of experience building tiny homes and other types of off-grid housing. Alternatively, look into building your own off-grid home—but be realistic about the amount of time, energy, effort, and money it’ll take!
Building a tiny home. Get in touch with a company that specializes in building tiny homes, which are cheaper than full-size homes but have all of the amenities. Many are also portable so it can be delivered to your property.
Living in a camper or RV. Modern RVs have kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms—everything you could need in a home. And you can drive to a new location if you ever want to.
Joining an off-grid community. This can be a good choice because it allows you to live off-grid while maintaining connections with other people. There are off-grid communities around the world. Search online to find one in your area.
Total installation costs of an average solar power system—including solar panels, a battery, a backup generator, and professional installation—averages around $40,000 USD.
Solar power systems can also power a hot water heater so you have a supply of hot water for showers and cleaning.
Supplement your solar panels with a secondary power source. When you have a stretch of cloudy weather or any kind of mechanical problem with your solar panels, a backup really comes in handy! If you live near a creek, you could get a micro hydropower turbine installed as a backup system. Alternatively, you could get a wind turbine installed near your house. Talk to renewable energy companies in your area about your options.
A domestic wind turbine costs around $10,000 USD. A small micro hydropower turbine can cost around $7,000 USD, while a larger one can cost over $50,000 USD.
Opt for a professionally-drilled well for water reliability and safety. Depending on where you live and the depth of the water table, it may be possible to dig a well yourself with power equipment or even just shovels. However, while dug-out wells and wells made by driving pipe into the ground can only reach down about 10–50 ft (3.0–15.2 m), professionally-drilled wells can go down 1,000 ft (300 m) or more. The deeper your well, the less likely water contamination becomes.
Drilling a well typically costs around $30-$60 USD per foot, with a typical total cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $7,000 USD.
You can also use drums or barrels to collect rainwater, which can be useful for gardening, toilets, and washing clothes. But you’ll need to filter or purify the water before you drink it.
Solid waste in the septic tank will need to be emptied by a vacuum truck periodically.
Having a septic tank system installed generally costs around $5,000 USD.
Recycled greywater is not safe for drinking, cooking, or cleaning.
Installing a greywater system typically costs around $1,000-$4,000 USD.
You need somewhere around 4,000 sq ft (370 m) of growing space to grow enough food to feed one person for a year.
It's a good idea to invest in heavy-duty freezers that can keep your food cold for several days if the power goes out.
Even if you aren’t planning to go completely off the grid, being able to grow your own food can make you more self-sufficient.
Hunting and fishing. Hunting, trapping, and fishing can provide protein for your diet. Make sure to follow all hunting and firearms rules where you live.
Gathering food from your environment. Wild berry and fruit trees can offer an abundant source of ready-to-eat food during the summer and fall. Get an illustrated botany book that explains which safe-to-eat fruits, nuts, and berries grow naturally in your locale.
Keep in mind that many people who live off the grid still go to the grocery store to pick up supplies, so you don’t have to fully rely on your ability to live off the land.
If you have other people with you, make sure they have enough clothing as well.
You can find affordable clothes at local thrift stores or flea markets.
You can build your core with ab exercises like crunches, planks, and leg raises.
Push-ups and curls are great for building arm strength.
Even while you’re living off the grid, try exercising for a little bit every day to stay in shape.
Properly insulating your home can help to substantially reduce your power usage for heating and cooling.
You can save $100 USD in energy costs per year simply by eliminating “vampire loads”—the electricity used by appliances when they’re turned off!
Buying less of what you don’t need cuts back on waste. Figure out what your true necessities are and always make a detailed shopping list when buying goods.
Sell, donate, or repurpose items you no longer need.
Some people aim to live a zero-waste lifestyle. This may be further than you’re willing or able to go, but any reduction in household waste is a net positive!
How much should you save up before getting off the grid? There’s no way to say for certain, but a good general rule is to have at least six months’ worth of your current income saved.
Eliminate unnecessary expenses. Even if you’ve started out your off-the-grid lifestyle with a large nest egg, work to buy only what you need and save as much money as possible.
Use your hobbies to make money. For instance, if you’re a seasoned cross-stitcher, you might want to sell your creations online or at a local farmer’s market.
Turn your knowledge of off-grid living into a financial opportunity. Monetize a blog, produce videos, or write a book about your experiences. You might also host others in a kind of off-grid exchange program.
Attend workshops on topics like growing your own garden, starting a compost pile, and repairing your home might be useful when you move off-grid. Check out the community events calendar of your local newspaper or library.
If you plan on growing a garden, for instance, run a search for how to do so using your search engine of choice. There are countless videos and articles online about how to live off the grid.
Renting an isolated cabin provides you with a taste of what you can expect when living off the grid. Spend a week or so in one that most closely approximates the sort of home you plan on living in. If you want to totally disconnect when you go off the grid full-time, see if you can handle going without using your phone, computer, or other communications tech during your stay.