The Off-Grid Primer
A brief introduction to off-grid systems for cabins.
A brief look at alternative energy sources for off-grid cabins
When I was in high-school, I had an amazing physics professor - Len Bugel. In beginning to write this essay, I learned of his passing earlier this year. Len was a real physicist, a real outdoorsman, and a really, really great teacher. He spent the winters in Vermont, teaching high-school physics to a bunch of punk kids, and his summers doing research for MIT on neutrino colliders. He would rest his hands upon a large beer belly as he walked around the room, lecturing on the failure of American car design, and would remark daily “You’re so full of shit your eyes are turning brown!” whenever a student would try to pull a fast one on him. He made science fun - really, really fun. If you made it into his senior physics class, he would take the entire class to Skip Barber Racing School, where we hooked up a bunch of sensors to the Formula 50 cars and spent the day racing, and the following weeks analyzing. I even considered studying it in college, until I got there and realized it wasn’t as fun to me if Len wasn’t teaching it.
One of the things that I remember most about Len was that, in my understanding, he lived entirely off-grid. Given that this is Vermont in the early 2000’s, this is a dedication to sustainability and progressive construction that I didn’t fully understand at the time. But I did think it was pretty awesome. I remember him coming in during extended stretches of snow or rain saying he was out of electricity and running on the generator and wood burning stove.
How realistic is it that we can erect a home and have it run smoothly with next to no noticeable difference in our day-to-day? This, I believe, is the key question to progress in these areas. Very few of us are willing to live as Len did - to build fires daily, According to Pew, only about 7% of Americans have invested in solar panels - a technology that has been commercially available and backed by subsidies on and off since the 70’s. While the number of adopters is growing, and the amount of energy delivered to homes on-grid is increasingly coming from non-carbon based sources, that’s pretty pathetic.
Every house has three main utilities - Power, Water and Waste. In this essay, we’re going to look at an overview of each of these. Over the following weeks, we’ll be taking a much more detailed look at each utility, the options for off-grid use, and what the future might look like.
Power
Power’s pretty important for a building. Obviously, it runs your electricity, but it’s also likely your heating and cooling, as well as your cooking. A traditional house is hooked up to one or systems. Almost all homes are hooked up to an electrical grid. Depending on the density of your area, you may or may not be hooked up to a gas-grid.
Generators
This is the obvious choice for short-term off-grid living. We’re all pretty familiar with them as they’re a common backup solution for homes. It’s an engine hooked up to a fuel source - usually propane - that can run for several hours to several days. They’re noisy, pretty inefficient, and eat fossil fuels up quickly, but they work and can power a whole house for days for a relatively small investment. A huge benefit here is how well known they are for servicing and maintenance, as well as things like propane delivery and ease of transport.
Solar
As I mentioned, solar has been around since the 50’s and commercially available since the 70’s. We’re becoming more familiar with it, and the cost and quality of solar cells are improving rapidly. While solar is pretty well understood and easy to maintain at this point, there are some downsides that still make it difficult to use as the only power source except in ideal environments. While panel array’s are pretty straightforward and getting better, it’s the storage that’s an issue. You need a power bank of lithium ion batteries. These are pretty much worthless if it’s below 50 outside, which makes them hard to rely upon year-round in most climates. Don’t worry about them blowing up though, we don’t think that’s an issue, but maybe don’t use Tesla batteris…
Alternatives
Wind, Hydro, Geo-Thermal. We’ll look at these more in detail in the Energy issue, but the reality is these are likely not a viable option for you - but good to know they exist!
Water
Water is pretty much the trickiest thing you’ll deal with in an off-grid setup. It’s hard to come by, hard to keep from freezing, and is not fun if it goes where it’s not supposed to. You’ve got two options here for off-grid, wells or holding tanks.
Wells.
A well is definitely ideal, but can be impossible, cost prohibitive or a lengthy process to get permits depending on your local jurisdiction. That said, it can provide you virtually unlimited clean water with little more maintenance than being hooked up to a town’s water supply.
Holding Tanks.
Holding tanks are a bit trickier, but can be a great solution for those willing to put in the work! Obviously, water freezes, so they’re ideally buried. If you’re smart about water collection, you can capture rain so that you almost never have to fill them - but beware, some areas regulate this, so check with your local laws and regulations. Some also encourage it and provide tax benefits, so just look into it! Alternatively, you’ll have to fill it, either through a water delivery service or other means of getting fresh water into your tank.
After it’s in the tank, you’ll need a system to pump it out, regulate the pressure, filter it, and heat it. Depending on the size of your home, an RV system may be sufficient. We’ll dive into the specifics of these systems in our water essay.
Waste
Ah, the fun stuff. It’s probably the first question we get 90% of the time. “How’s the toilet work?” Magic, obviously. In all seriousness, there’s some pretty awesome options, and some pretty shitty options (pun intended). First, you’ve got two types of waste - grey water and brown water. Grey water is runoff from showers and sinks, while brown water is from your toilet. If you use a septic system, you can’t separate these and the system handles both. If you use a dry flush, compost, holding tanks or incinerator toilet, you can and should!
Septic
If you’ve got the space, time and money to install a septic system, do it. Like a well and a generator, they’re commonplace in most areas and there is the infrastructure, knowledge and skilled labor to install them and maintain them. You’ll hardly know the difference between your waste system and being on city sewer. Prices vary depending on location and size, but expect in the $7-$12k range and a few months for permits and construction.
Dry Flush
If your location is going to be used infrequently, or you want a very simple, cost-effective solution for a toilet. They’re like astronaut toilets - check out this video! I’ve used them and there’s no smell and super easy to use, as well as kind of fun. The only downside is that the cartridges cost you about $2/flush, so these are not a viable option except for occasional use.
Compost
Most of us are familiar with composting toilets. They range in luxury (and price) from what’s essentially a bucket, to what looks and feels like a luxury Japanese toilet. There are even whole-home systems, but they get very expensive. While the better options don’t smell, they do require some maintenance and know-how, so be prepared to do some work that is not especially enjoyable.
Incinerator
These are awesome. They look exactly like a normal toilet, but when you flush - BANG! - Instantly incinerated. Just kidding I don’t think they bang. The only downside with these is I believe some fire departments are not fans and they may not meet fire code.
And there you have it - a brief overview of your power, water and waste systems for off-grid designs. If you have any specific questions, please reach out and look out for our in-depth guides coming soon! If you found this helpful, please share it and subscribe - it’s free!