On a recent trip home to Iowa, a minor basement flood at my parents’ in-town house presented the opportunity to stay at their newly completed off-grid home out in the country. As living on a self-sufficient acreage is of course our dream, we took this as a chance for a taste of sustainable living (well, minus the homesteading aspect).
This picture shows the solar array, wind tower, propane tank, and top of the septic system. If you look in the background you’ll see the line of semis waiting to accept their load of industry-intensive corn being harvested that day. I felt it was a nice contrast between viable sustainable practices…and modern farming techniques.
The small house is powered by a 1 kW solar array and a 1kW Bergey wind turbine, which connect to an inversion unit in the basement. Power is stored in 12 6-volt, 350 Amp-hour batteries leading to a storage capacity of just over 25kWh (1050Ah at 24 volts). Alternately, if the battery bank is full, extra power is transferred to a water tank used for radiant heating. In the winter, heat is supplied by the radiant heat system passive solar (the whole shouth wall is covered in windows), or the woodburning stove. There is also a propane tank for the stove and additional hot water.
We had fun experimenting with measuring the electrical draw of various appliances using the system display panel. We discovered vampire currents coming from the DVD player, the stove clock, and the large microwave which my parents had already decided used too much energy when in operation. So we found a small amount of energy savings.
There is a small (but efficient) air conditioner we could have used, but we got more than enough cooling from the breeze through theopen windows. Now, I’m no stranger to camping or otherwise being outdoors, but hearing the defening roar of insects from inside a modern, comfortable house seemd very foreign to us. It really helped reinforce just how much suburbia affects the environment – the old home just 15 miles away bordering a large woods is virtually an insect ghost town compared to the din in the country. The number of bugs around the outdoor lights was similarly dramatic.
So, this was just a brief two-night glimpse of a life where we’re forced to carefully manage our power usage, open and close windows to regulate the temperature, and sleep in the darkness of a country night. And we liked it.
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Playing with currents
We had a lot of fun those nights. We would turn off a light and then run and check to see how the draw of power had changed! We also would check different lights to see which ones drew more than others. The outside flood lights definitely used a lot, I can't remember the exact amps but I think it was around 15 amps! It was also fun to see how low the batteries were getting throughout the night when we weren't making any power. I don't think we went below 75% full. It was definitely a nice change to be out in the country with the windows open, cool FRESH air blowing through the house and bugs singing us to sleep:)
crickets
I never thought we had crickets in Western Washington, but it seems that we do. I have been enjoying their evening seranades this summer.
Cricket symphony
I just heard a story on NPR yesterday about a guy who includes crickets in his symphonic performances. Apparently many people in China keep crickets in cages inside the house so they can enjoy their music.
Public Broadcasting
Hey, I heard that too (on NPR). I came back to say that I saw a community of people living off grid, I think in Iowa, on PBS's NOW, and I wondered if it was the same community you mentioned here?
Nope
This is just a standalone property out in the middle of farmland, but who knows, maybe it's the start of another community like that :)
Best Be Careful
Be VERY leary of when, where, and how you build. Now I have NO idea of the current nor desired land use in your vacinity.... But if you look at Southern California as a prime example once "development" comes in (maybe only a house or two at a time) you better watch out cause a flood gate can be unleashed. So IF you truly value (in this case I'm assuming viable farmland) you better watch out, cause once someone sees they can make a few more dollars by paving over that cornfield, you're going to have a massive explosion of tract homes, clogged roads, and general environmental destruction in all its forms.
And ULTIMATELY one needs to decide how you want to accomodate the (current) forces of continued population growth/expansion. Do you want everyone to have 2.5 acres so they have plenty of room for their personal PV array and windturbine or do you want to have higher density urban communities where one CAN walk to the grocery store, use public transportation efficiently, realize the efficiencies of mixed use development, etc, etc, etc......
That's about I have to say about that right now....Food for thought..................
Sustainable Design
This is true, however I'm going to be optimistic and say that I believe the tide is turning, in terms of development philosophies. Right now the area I live in is set at the 2.5 acre limit (nothing smaller), because of the aquifers, I believe. My county is very much following sustainable development techniques in that they are considering limiting traffic access to certain city centers and are cramming people into urban areas. It may take a while though, for the rest of the country to get on-board. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We really can't keep going down that old road.