Posts from — November 2010

My wife and I would love to get away from it all somewhere. Looking for an off the grid place to call home. I am a computer scientist and she is an english major. If anyone has any suggestions let us know.

GRATON, Calif. (AP) — As Americans downsize in the aftermath of a colossal real estate bust, at least one tiny corner of the housing market appears to be thriving.
Americans have overhoused themselves for decades. Now at last, to save money or simplify their lives, a small but growing number of Americans are buying or building homes that could fit inside many people’s living rooms, according to entrepreneurs in the small house industry.
Some put these wheeled homes in their backyards to use as offices, studios or extra bedrooms. Others use them as mobile vacation homes they can park in the woods. But the most intrepid of the tiny house owners live in them full-time, paring down their possessions and often living off the grid.
“It’s very un-American in the sense that living small means consuming less,” said Jay Shafer, 46, author of The Small House Book, sitting on the porch of his wooden cabin in California wine country. (more…)

NPR’s All Things Considered show ran a segment on a battle we have been following over the years – between residents of No Name Key Florida. The radio spot is a piece of pro-grid, anti-battery propaganda, talking about the dangers of battery banks and allowing an interviewee to assert it is safer and cleaner to use the grid for power, without running any counter argument to balance it. (Judge for yourself at http://www.npr.org/2010/11/23/131543151/tiny-fla-island-debates-joining-electric-grid)

No Name in Florida is an off-grid Island with 42 inhabitants, featured in my book OFF THE GRID, and some of the newcomers want to bring in grid power to boost their property values. For an excerpt from the book see below. (more…)

I have a motel(8units) on 6 acres of land.
I have a well and septic. Plenty of room, over
6 acres, surrounded by crown land.Looking for help . e mail me with off grid in subject line… importland@yahoo.ca

I found this today on YouTube, these guys are dehydrating chicken, it looks very simple and I suspect you could do this with other meats as well. This will save you major $$$s over buying dehydrated meat from a commercial source. Watch and enjoy! (more…)

Its a mechanical problem that has troubled scientists since Archimedes and the ancient Greeks, but now an electrician has come up with a new invention that could help save consumers thousands of pounds in energy bills.

Ian Gilmartin, 60, and Bob Cattley, 58, both from Kendal, Cumbria have invented a mini-waterwheel capable of supplying enough electricity to power a house from almost any running water supply.

The contraption is designed to be used in small rivers or streams ( ideal for hundreds of thousands of homes).

It is the first off-the-shelf waterwheel system which can generate a good supply of electricity from a water fall as little as 20cm. (more…)

Insuring seasonal or recreational homes is different from insuring your primary residence, although you might decide that any kind of home insurance is akin to gambling and likely to lose you money in the long run.

The main difference from an insurance perspective is that the recreational home is not occupied year round. From an insurance company perspective this means there’s an increased risk.

In most cases, you can buy insurance for your seasonal home as an extension of your primary home insurance policy. Types of policies and restrictions vary by insurance company, so consider talking to your insurance adviser before you purchase the place. (more…)