Living Off The Grid
A few years ago, Home Power Magazine estimated that there are about 180,000 households in the United
States that are living off the grid.
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Some other 27,000 homes are using wind and solar energy for offsetting or complementing grid-connected living.
It is not surprising that many homes both in urban and rural areas are now considering getting off the commercial
electricity supplied by utility firms.
What is it like to live without commercially supplied electricity? Perhaps nobody could imagine living without
television, radio, computers or other electrical devices that are now considered part of everyday life. To live off
the grid does not mean you have to resort to living without the basic necessities like electricity.
What Is the Grid?
In general, the term ‘grid’ is a common word referring to power grid, which is the system that delivers power
supply to homes via network. Most modern homes are connected to electricity. Electricity is necessary to be able to
operate basic home appliances and important gadgets. Electric power is also required to run natural gas,
telephone, and even water lines.
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For a person to go off the grid means he prefers to shun the public utilities to be able to use
his own energy. Yes, off the grid homes are not necessarily living without using electricity. They are just
not reliant on commercial power supplies anymore. So where do they get their power requirements? They produce
it for their own use.
Solar and Wind Power
The initial step to go off the grid is to get rid of electrical dependence from the power suppliers. It is best
to use renewable energy sources instead. The sun and the wind are nature’s gifts to households that are living off
the grid. Instead of getting electricity from commercial power lines, such off the grid homes simply use generators
that use wind or sunlight for generating power.
Homes utilizing solar power generators use photovoltaic or PV solar panels that are strategically located on the
roof or on a nearby vacant outdoor lot. On the other hand, wind turbines are power generators that produce
electricity through using the force or energy brought about by natural wind. Wind power generators are most ideal
to use in windy areas. Some households combine the two to produce electricity more than what the home could use or
demand.
Living Free from Monthly Utility Bills
People who are off the grid are raving because they are not bothered by monthly utility bills anymore. When they
open their traditional mail boxes, they would not find annoying electric bill statements and disconnection notices
anymore. They would also not bother to go to banks or payment centers to settle their utility balances.
It follows that such people are able to save significantly on basic utility costs. Electricity prices cause a
lot of stress these days. That is because as energy prices rise, so do electric costs. Most home tools and
appliances are power operated so that means monthly electric bills could rise to several hundreds or even
thousands. If you are off the grid, you would not have to worry about settling such amounts.
Off the Grid in Rural Areas
It is not hard to imagine life off the grid in rural areas. Most homes in the rural setting
have waited years or decades just to be connected to electric lines commercially available. Now, many of those
rural homes are severing ties or subscriptions with electric providers. That is because wind and sun power
generation is now getting more popular.
Now, a home need not wait for too long just to enjoy basic electric amenities. Any household just needs to build
or install a renewable energy power generator to be able to produce its own electricity. Some urban households are
also following suit because they might have probably been already fed off by the inconvenient and unreliable
electric line services.
Helping the Environment
The greatest benefit of off the grid living is that you would be able to help save the environment. Off grid
living is synonymous to green living. That is because you would use renewable energy sources for generating
electric energy.
Commercial power supplies are mostly generated at plants that use coal and fuel combustion. Such facilities
produce emissions that are harmful to the environment particularly to the ozone layer in the atmosphere. Thus,
living off the grid is one effective way of helping fight off global warming and eventually global climate
change.
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