Off Grid Living
Off Grid living is different to taking for granted the unlimited amount of electricity you have available when connected to the grid, but not much! The golden rule is to try not to use electricity for heating or cooking, as the Off Grid Power system will need to be increased in size and cost. Using bottled gas or a wood fired boiler for all heating tasks will keep the initial cost of your system down and ensure your system runs more efficiently. Saying that, we have installed systems to run a heat pump and electric ovens, but the cost is higher and system size much bigger.
How Much Power?
Use our easy to complete form that will add up all the power used on the appliances and lights you use every day, along with an estimate of how many hours a day each. A daily amount of Kw you need will allow us to provide a cost of the system size you will need. Once completed, email it over to us, or simply tell us how much power you need to use every day. We will then be able to work out an ideal system size for you. Remember to take into account any future devices you may want to add, and take those into account. If you are not sure, simply email us with a basic outline of your power needs listing the appliances you want to use. From that we can get a quote made up for you.
What System Type for Me?
Most people have a combination of Solar, Battery and Inverter to provide you with a 230v AC microgrid system in one neat package that will only take up the area of a cupboard. Solar panels are now well priced to enable us to fit 20 or more, which will provide you with all your power from Spring through to Autumn without the need to run a generator.
You will need a generator backup which will be programmed to top up the batteries during the low light days of Winter. In practice this will mean a generator run time of 1 or 2 hours a day. We recommend a suitable unit that matches your installation, however we have found over the years that buying a cheap Chinese generator is asking for trouble in time, so we always recommend quality products that will not let you down.