Living Off The Grid - You Can Do It Cost Effectively

I can't go one day without hearing something on the news about green energy. I'm sure that many of you hear the news about how we all need to 'go green' or the planet will die. The problem with the news is that they tell you it's going to cost you $25,000 to make the conversion. I can tell you this is quite untrue. Our family decided to live off the grid and we managed to do it for much cheaper than that.

We have devised a method for helping people make the change to off grid living for about 85% less than you're told on the news. All you need to start is your electric bill and $25 - $50 per month that you can use to invest in your renewable energy system.

To start out with we're going to use that money that you're saving to make your house more energy efficient. Starting out this includes lighting, as lighting makes up 15 - 20% of your electric bill. Only use the money that you're saving to start out. $25 - $50 will buy you 3 - 6 compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) which use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs do. This means a savings of 11 - 15% right off the bat. Combine the money that you're saving by cutting energy usage and add it to your monthly savings.

You now have more money per month to use towards your dream of living off the grid. Lets say you are now up to $75 per month in savings. After two months like this you can build a wind generator and have an electrician hook it up to your meter. This is called a grid-tie setup and I recommend people who are just starting out use this method.

You're now 6 months into your conversion and you're now saving 50%+ on your electric bill. That means you can also start building solar panels (it's not that hard, if you have even a little DIY skills you can do it). You'll have to get a certified electrician in again to hook them up to your meter because it's the law. At 12 - 14 months into your conversion you are now saving 100% on your electric bill. That means your bill is $0 or you're getting a cheque from the electric company.

You can decided to stay like this or find some free batteries (from a golf course) and build the battery backup. Many people opt to stay grid-tied for the "just in case" times. I would aim for at least 3 - 5 days battery backup simply because the weather can sometimes be unpredictable.

Within 2 years you have completely eliminated your electric bill. Lets take a look at how much that cost. $50 per month for 24 months works out to $1200, and the savings on your electric bill didn't cost you anything. That's quite a bit lower than $25,000 don't you think?

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