What Is Off Grid Living?

Living off the grid is an idea that is coming up more and more these days, as many become fed up with the difficulties and stresses of living an environmentally sustainable life in a typical residential area.

What going off the grid means is leaving all of this behind and become sustainable and autonomous. That means that you become responsible for providing your own necessities of life – meaning securing a source of water, power (the power “grid”), and other utilities is completely up to you.

In short, those living off the grid say a big good-bye to the basic home and house hook-ups that are provided by municipalities.

Living off the ground sounds very enticing, and for many it has a certain amount of romanticism too it – heading back to the land, and living at one with the land without abusing it for its resources.

But, in practice, living off-grid will require some major changes to your life – as even a casual observer will suspect. Your carbon footprint will be reduced to zero, and you’ll be freed from the steady arrival of utility bills and other fees associated with conventional residential living.

How do you do it, then? While some would say a true “off the grid” lifestyle means leaving the city for good, fact is the changes are a good direction to head in for even those remaining in the city. Keep the following two vital improvements in mind.

Tap into renewable energy sources

No more conventional energy sources are available when you go off the grid. Instead, you’ll have to tap into renewable and natural energy resources – wind and sunlight being key here.

Affixing solar panels to your home’s roof is a necessity for many off-the-griders. Wind power is the other go-to power source, and this means installing a residential wind turbine that will set a few dozen metres up in the air.

Water and sewage

Getting water for an off-the-grid home will likely mean drilling a private well. The deeper you drill it, the cleaner the water will be. Another option is using a cistern to store rainwater from your gutters.

As for sewage, you’ll need to install your own septic system. This means placing a large tank underground, and connecting it to your home’s sewage connections. The tank will have to be replaced about once a year.

If you’re looking to go green but don’t want to make such a large life commitment, contact Green City Plumber! We can help make changes to your home that will reduce your carbon footprint without being a time-consuming or life-changing obligation.