Must have products for an off the grid lifestyle

Living off the grid is more than having renewable sources of energy. It is more than harvesting rainwater. It is, above all, an eco-friendly lifestyle.

As we explored in our article on energy efficiency, living off-grid takes certain products. You should not just buy new appliances or gadgets without considering how much energy they use. Some products such as the solar refrigerator listed below are made to run exclusively on solar power.

You may be looking to ease into solar or wind power. We have you covered with a great solar kit that is easy to install and has a great value.

Off the Grid Cooking

Cooking always takes some forethought when living off the grid. Electric stoves take too much power and are not easily supported by a wind turbine or solar panels.

One product we love is the solar oven. You may think a solar oven is just for camping or a cool kids science fair experiment. And they are – however, they are so much more.

Solar ovens are very popular all over the world. In underdeveloped countries, they are lifesavers because they lessen the exposure to dangerous kerosene fumes often used for cooking. A solar oven can be used anywhere on a nice sunny day. They heat up extremely fast. Solar ovens are appropriate for all types of cooking including roasting meats, baking bread and making soups or stews.

A quality solar oven such as the All American Sun Oven- The Ultimate Solar Appliance will be up to any baking task. This sturdy solar oven will reach temperatures of 360 to 400 Fahrenheit (approximately 180 to 205 Celsius) and can even be used to roast meats.

This model is great because its larger size can accommodate standard size pans. You want to avoid models that can only take a small pan as they will limit what you can cook.

Off the Grid Refrigeration

Refrigeration may be the most necessary appliance you need when moving off grid. After all, you can always cook on a grill or open fire. But keeping foods cold is essential to our safety and health. That’s why we recommend investing in a quality refrigerator.

Along with baking, refrigeration takes up a lot of energy. For most off griders that leaves two options: using propane or solar refrigerators.

There are pros and cons to each system as you can see below.

Propane RefrigerationP600

A propane refrigerator is very energy efficient and can easily keep food frozen. This Smad Gas Refrigerator Freezer Propane Fridge with Freezer is 9.3 Cu.Ft is very energy efficient and requires no electricity to run. However, it can run on 110 electric, but that would not be as efficient.

At a cost of $1549, it averages $167 per cubic foot. Propane or natural gas refrigerators have a lower upfront cost then do straight solar ones.

This model uses approximately 20 pounds of propane every two weeks. Propane refrigerators are quiet, self-contained and do not cause indoor air pollution. They also use no freon which is an environmental pollutant. Most propane fridges are duo usage and can also run on electric which gives you some flexibility.

Propane refrigerators have few moving parts and last for a long time. It is common to see older models that are thirty plus years old.

The biggest con of a propane refrigerator is that you are still using fossil fuel making it a not so eco-friendly solution. Although the initial cost of a propane refrigerator is lower than the solar ones, you still have to deal with the fuel cost over time.

Last but not least, they do weigh a great deal which can make shipping and transportation more difficult.

Solar Refrigeration

For comparison, we can look at a Solar Refrigerator. The Smad DC/AC Solar Refrigerator Double Doors with Freezer is 6.2 Cu ft (so slightly smaller than the propane model). At a cost of $1299, it averages @ $210 per cubic foot.

Solar fridges are highly efficient. They are typically well insulated with quiet compressors. This model can be powered via solar or wind power directly (DC) or off battery power (AC).

The catch with the solar refrigerator is that you must have solar panels already installed to run it. This model uses 65 watts so would need a comparable solar panel rising the initial cost. Now, the big advantage of the solar model is no monthly bill or fossil fuel usage. They also have good warranties and are very long lasting.

Off the Grid Solar Lights

No matter if you are starting out small or adding a few solar products to your home in case there is a power outage. These hanging solar lights are perfect for such use.

These are great for providing light where and when you need a little extra: nature Power 21030 Hanging Solar Powered LED Shed Light with Remote Control, and a Black Finish. They are made for use in a shed or garage but are adequate to use in the home as well.

The High-Quality Amorphous solar panel recharges using an included battery. These lights are easy to install by mounting the solar panel in a sunny location and drilling a hole to run the wiring through.

These lights are not very bright but give enough quality light to cook a meal or see around the house. They can be comforting if you have a child who is afraid of the dark. Not recommended for reading unless you sit directly below the light.

Off the Grid Small Solar Kits

If you are looking for a system to get you started in solar energy but is easy to install. A solar kit can help you get started with solar energy and can power a tremendous amount of things.

The KISAE Technology HS400-00 Is a complete Home Solar 400 Watt kit. It is self-contained, so the inverter and the battery are all in a box together. This plug and play system makes it easy to install and easy to use.

You could easily power lights and the weather radio during a storm or power outage. It would also charge your cell phone and laptop. This kit also makes an accessible introduction to solar power.

Do you want to switch over one area of your house? Depending on your equipment you could power your home office with this product. Laptop, printer and desk lamp can all run on under 40 watts as long as you have energy efficient models.

Products mentioned in this post

Did you like this post? Please leave us a comment below and take a look at other great articles that we have selected for you!

Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting

Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Collecting, storing and using rainwater at home Rain harvesting, also known as rainwater collection or rainwater catchment, is an ancient practice that we have been using since roughly 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic age and...

Lets Live a Green Life!

Let's live a green life! Why we should aim to live a green life and influence others to do the same First, let's look at things from a much higher perspective How many times per day do you remind yourself that you are alive? And that you are a life, living on a...

Composting at Home

Composting at HomeIndoor worm composting is a great Eco-friendly solution! Composting: what is it?Composting is an activity that will increase your contribution to a more sustainable planet and benefit the future generations. Our organic waste, when compiled and...

Indoor composting: best compost bins 2018

ecofriendly.solutions top picks Before you choose the best bin for indoor composting You should know that there are different ways to make your compost. Different types of bins that will use different composting processes. If you intend to go for indoor...

Solar energy for a better world

Sun as a mean of energy There are several different types of means of energy, but one of the most relevant and emerging sources of energy is solar energy. The amount of energy that our sun produces is overwhelming. It continually gives us about 35 thousand...

How to make your home more energy efficient

Energy

Energy, Environment

How to make your home more energy efficient

Energy efficiency is very important and applies to everyone, whether you live on or off the grid. It is important to use our natural resources wisely. And by using your resources wisely you also save money

What Does it Mean to be Energy Efficient?

Energy efficiency means to reduce your consumption of power. Your first step is to reduce your electricity consumption. This will save you money on utility bills and lower your dependence on fossil fuels.

Energy efficiency can have a positive impact on the environment. In the United States 40% of the energy used comes from producing electricity, much of that generated from coal plants.

If you are looking at going off the grid (or even grid-tied) you need to plan on using as little electricity as possible. In that way, you can develop a system that is energy efficient and is easy to power off a smaller system.

The size of the solar or wind system you buy is directly related to the amount of energy you will use and the amount of sun and/or wind your home requires.

Becoming energy efficient may mean that you

Don’t use some things because they use too much electricity to run
Use those heavy electric loads less
Purchase appliances that use less power
If you have solar energy then use more electric on sunny days to save on your battery usage

How do I Become More Energy Efficient?

Take a good look at your home.

Where are you using power?

What appliances use the most electricity?

You can buy a watt meter to help you answer those questions.

How does my behavior affect my energy use?

Remember your mother always telling you to turn off the lights when you left a room? Well, she was right. Your behavior plays a big part in how much energy you use.

When using renewable energy you need to be conscious of your energy use.

Watts, Volts and Amps??

These are important terms to know when you are evaluating your energy usage.

A good example is to think of electricity as water flowing through a pipe. Just like water flows through a pipe, electricity is the flow of electrons through a wire.

An amp is the volume or the amount of current flowing through a wire (or water through the pipe). So how fast does the energy flow is the amp?

The pressure of the water is the voltage. Volts measure the force of the flow.

Watts is the power supplied by the flow of electricity – or water flow in our analogy. You get watts by multiplying amps times volts. A watt tells us how much energy is generated or consumed. For example, if you turn on a light that has a 60-watt bulb in it, then that lamp is consuming 60 watts of energy for every second that light is on.

In solar terminology, you may see the expression kW or kW-h. This stands for kilowatts and kilowatts per hour. This represents how many watts are used per hour.

Knowing What You Can and Cannot Run on Solar and Wind

The first acknowledgment that most people when using a stand-alone system or off the grid is that you can not run everything. Well, you could but it would be counterproductive and very expensive. Who wants to spend $5000 on solar panels just to run an electric stove when $5000 can completely power a small home or cabin.

In off-grid terminology, a load is how much electricity something uses. Heavy loads are not practical to use. Things that need to produce a lot of heat, for instance, electric stoves and electric heaters use an amazing amount of energy. Surprisingly many small appliances such as toasters and convection ovens also use a lot. Air conditioning is also a big user of energy.

Now if you are on a grid-tied system you can have your electric stove and central air conditioning because the grid-tied electric will kick in when you use them. But remember even with a grid-tied system the more of “their” energy you use the less of “your” money you will save.

Every electric product sold has a chart that will tell you how many watts or amps it uses. Energy Star products are very good at this and often give you comparison information as well.

If you are not ready to leave the grid yet, it is still a good idea to track how much electricity you are using. Several products such as smart plugs and monitoring systems help you to control and monitor your electric use.

Typical Electric Loads for Conventional Appliances

Space Heater 1500 watts

Stove 2100 watts

Coffee Maker 1200 watts

16 cubic foot refrigerator and freezer unit 475 watts

How Electric Products Use Energy

Knowing how your electric product uses energy is important. Some electric appliances use electric through cycling. That means that the product is not “on” 24/7 but cycles on and off to do its job. A refrigerator is a good example of this. The unit will come on when it needs to maintain the desired temperature. And will turn off when the desired temperature is attained.

Some appliances such as a washing machine are on the whole time they are in use but are off when they are not in use.

Watch Out For Phantoms!

Many electrical loads are using electricity even when they are off. Electronics such as TV’s and computers do this. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL), states that the average American home has up to 40 products that are constantly drawing power.

Also, anything with a digital clock such as a microwave has a phantom load. These amounts may seem very small but they do add up. For example, your TV can have a phantom load of 5 watts a day. That’s 1,825 watts a year which can be doing good elsewhere.

To help alleviate phantom loads you can plug small appliances into a surge protector and then turn the surge protector off when you are done using the appliance.

Lets Live a Green Life!

by @dbdbus | September 30, 2018 | Energy, Environment, Recycling, Water | 0 Comments

How to make your home more energy efficient

by @dbdbus | November 27, 2018 | Energy, Environment | 10 Comments

How to make your home more energy efficient Energy efficiency is very important and applies to everyone, whether you live on or off the grid. It is important to use our natural resources wisely. And by using your resources wisely you also save money What Does it Mean...