To live off the grid means that you do not rely on the national electricity supply, but it is really so much more than that. To live off the grid means that you have found a way to generate and use energy in a more sustainable and renewable way without using coal and other fossil fuels. It could mean that you use a solar water heater to heat your water, a wind turbine or PV solution to generate your electricity or a combination of energy generating techniques that allows you to be completely energy independent.
When you live off the grid you do not have to be concerned about the increasing electricity tariffs or Eskom’s load shedding schedule but this does come at quite a hefty price.
Living off the grid is not an easy journey to take as it can be rather expensive to set up especially if you are looking at going cold-turkey on electricity. However if you make subtle small changes over time it will prove to be incredibly beneficial. I would suggest 3 starting points:
- 1st replace the electrical geyser with a Solahart solar water heater, savings between 40-60% (up to 90% of the heating costs) of the household’s monthly electricity bill.
- 2nd replace the electrical stove with a gas stove- decreases your reliance on electricity for cooking
- 3rd replace all the normal lights with energy efficient bulbs i.e. LED bulb
These three steps will not only save you on your monthly energy consumption and electricity bill but also allow you to live in a greener and more sustainable way.