Off The Grid House
Design
"5
Common Off The Grid House Design Myths ... "
Do you want to change your
life with off grid power?
Living off the
grid is getting more and
more popular nowadays. However, there are still many myths
surrounding what it means to live in a house that’s off the
grid.
This article will debunk five of those myths.
By the end of this
article, you’ll have a much better idea of what
it’s like to
really live off the grid.
Myth
#1 – It Takes a Lot to Live Off the Grid
This is simply
not true. In fact,
designing a house to be off the grid is not that much different than
designing a regular house.
It’s
not uncommon for people to take
an existing house and take it off the grid.
Perhaps one of
the toughest parts of
off the grid house design is learning to conserve resources. For
example, rather than tossing your laundry in a washing machine,
learning to hand wash and hang dry to conserve energy.
Myth
#2 – It’s Very Expensive
Although this
was true several years
ago, green energy has gotten much, much more affordable now.
Getting solar
panels installed can be
done for under $1000-$5000 if you’re willing to put in the
work. In
the long run, living off the grid is much, much more affordable.
Those who want
to pay even less than that usually buy a DIY solar panel guide like the
earth4energy manual. This is a good decision because they can install
solar panels (or wind power if they prefer) at home for less than $300.
(Yes, I said less than $300 for off grid homes, it's not a typo).
Myth
#3 – It’s Unreliable
When
considering off the grid house
designs, one thing people are often worried about is their solar
power source being unreliable.
This is simply
not true. Modern day
solar panels can last upwards of 40 years. When’s the last
time a
refrigerator or microwave lasted 40 years? A well constructed solar
panel will last and last and last, paying off its investment many
times over.
Myth
#4 – It’s a Poor ROI
Again, this is
not true. Once you’ve
gone off the grid, you’ll typically receive a 15%+
ROI per year
for your investment.
What most
people don’t realize is
that #1, the government provides rebates and tax cuts for people
installing solar energy. And #2, if you decide not to completely
disconnect from your utility companies, you can actually sell
your solar energy to utility companies through your normal electric
line.
Myth
#5 – It’s Unattractive
Often times
when considering off the
grid house designs, people think of giant ugly solar cells or poorly
designed houses. Again, this is simply a myth.
A house
designed to be off the grid is
much more similar to a normal house than it is different. If the
design is poor, it generally has nothing to do with it being designed
to be off the grid.
Solar panels
have improved
significantly since back when they were giant eyesores. Nowadays
they’re sleek, high-tech and pleasant to look at.
These five
myths are some of the more
common misconceptions concerning off the grid house design. Now that
you know what’s really going on, you’ll have a more
solid idea of
what it really means to build a house that’s off the grid.
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