One Dollar of Energy Conservation Equals $4 of Energy Production

Want to add electricity to your off the grid home?

Well here is a hot tip that will save you a lot of money. Find the most efficient way to use your electricity so that you conserve electricity as much as you can.

Basically what is at stake is the fact that (according to past studies by people exploring conservation of electricity) for every $1 you spend on conserving electricity (and heat / cooling) you can save roughly $3 to $5 (approx. $4) on energy production.

So for example if you spend $1,000 buying more efficient ways of heating, cooling, cooking, etc., then you will save approximately $3,000 to $5,000 on what it would cost to buy enough solar panels, wind turbines, etc in order to provide all the electricity you need for less efficient ways of cooking your food, refrigeration, air conditioning and heating.

That said yes, you can get a fair chunk of electricity from wind power...

And solar to complement the wind power...

And even hydro power, using a micro hydro turbine or water wheel.

If you have water near your off-the-grid home then water is a very good source of power that many people don't even explore the option of tapping into. You can build a micro dam, use a river's natural current and a water wheel, or even a generator that turns thanks to waves.

I even heard of one family that built their home over top of a stream, dammed it with a turbine, and then had the river flow through an artificial riverbed in their living room and exit the far side of the house in a waterfalls that turned an overshot water wheel. So they were getting electricity from the turbine, the water cooled their home like an air conditioner, and the water wheel on the far side was both attractive and provided additional electricity.

The stream froze up during the winter, but during the Spring, Summer and Fall they had most of the electricity they needed just from the stream. (A waterproof latch was closed on both entrance and exit during the winter and they would wash to artificial waterbed each winter.)

But to make any of this work that it provides enough electricity for your needs, having more energy efficient household items makes much more sense.

I for one believe in wood stoves strongly when it comes to heating and also cooking. Saves on both heating and cooking costs. The problem is that many people use their wood stoves just for heating and it never occurs to them they could use it for cooking too.

If you shop around however you can find wood stoves that you can cook on. And they are well worth the investment in my opinion.

Heating your home with wood is fairly cheap, but it also can be improved by getting a more energy efficient wood stove that allows you to get more heat out of it.

The problem with wood stoves is that a lot of the heat is lost through the chimney. As such I strongly recommend reading independent energy efficiency reviews on your wood stove before purchasing. If you can get a more energy efficient wood stove you will not regret having something that heats your home cheaply and efficiently. (Note that this is not the same as the fine particle emissions rating, that is something completely different.)