When an issue begins to intrude into my sleep, I need to act. Maybe it's my own nervous nature, but it seems that we - users of lights, cooktops, air conditioning, tv's, computers, washing machines and dryers, etc. - depend on big power companies too much. They, in turn, suffer at the vagaries of mother nature, the oil cartel, and government regulators. With so many interests affecting the price of power, how does a homeowner control costs? Any one of the players can affect the number on an individual energy bill. For example, when the price of a barrel of crude oil goes up; per kilowatt cost goes up; when the EPA decides CO2 is a health hazard and forces power companies to install new equipment (on the timetable set by the regulator) or even, to change to a different fuel altogether; cost per kilowatt hour rises more.
* Wouldn't it bring peace of mind to be energy independent?
* Why can't individual houses supply their own power?
* Wouldn't the power companies appreciate power supplied on
a distributed basis?
Good questions !
This project seeks to answer that question. A simple Florida house (one room deep/windows on three sides of each room) is the laboratory for this experiment. That sensible design wasn't apparent when I first walked into the house, however. Over the years, the basic house had seen large additions to both ends causing a rambling ranch-like structure. The walk from the master bedroom to the kitchen as so long and dark it was positively scary! The house had some insulation, but the overhangs were minimal, so there was a lot of sun and heat coming through the 1950's single-glaze windows.
* Query: Can this structure be taken off-the-grid?
* Would that effort be so hugely expensive as to be impractical?
* Would such a house look weird and industrial in a residential
neighborhood?
Fortunately, there are like minded people in this area (six that I've located thus far). After looking at their efforts, it seemed that yes, a highly efficient, perhaps totally self-sufficient house is doable, even here where air-conditioning, that necessary requirement of modern living, sucks large amounts of energy.
So the decision is made: I will renovate this "house of the wandering footprint" and work to make it "off the grid" or, in my more sensible moments, as far off the grid as is possible with present technology. Join me in this journey - it's going to be quite a ride!
