moxies_chickennuggets said:
We...DH and myself...are finding that "going off grid" ....and being SS...is a continuous challenge in everything we thought we knew. It has been one slow step at a time....climbing up a mountain blindfolded with our hands tied behind our backs. So far...the house/land is paid in full. We have well water. Refused to hook up cable or satellite.
Reduce....reuse...and recycle. Catch rainwater for non potable uses. Got some chickens...for free. And are currently working with them to see if they lay eggs.....or sleep with noodles. I hang out laundry to dry...after I have washed and rinsed it with rainwater.
The problem is mainly going to be electricity. We need electricity. We have no insulation in most of the main house, but we still have to keep warm. Even with layering, it is colder that h*&^! in here. We have electric appliances..stove, fridge....etc...even though we got those used and way cheap. So...>>sigh<< ..we jut keep looking and hunting on the net ...to find information....supplies...etc.
Oh, we also have a few garden spots...but they are only somewhat productive right now.
I'm not a senior citizen, but I was a single mom with a struggling small business in the post 9-11 economy when I bought an all-electric house in October 2001.
What I learned about solar was: It will not support energy-hog appliances. So instead of starting at the solar point, I switched my electricity plan to wind, added insulation in the attic. That was about year one on the insulation, and about year 5 on the wind plan. It had to be available first. I have central heat and air - when I threw some mothballs in the attic to chase out rats I discovered quickly that my ductwork leaked - as soon as the a/c kicked on my whole house reeked of mothballs. This would be 2005. So at 6 am the next morning I hit the attic and wrapped the ductwork. A small house in full sun in Texas has got to have a/c, so the central will go when A. It breaks and I go to window units. Or B. I have a better alternative.
2010 featured an almost recordbreaking string of 100 degree days. About a week in I observed that when I throw a white sheet over a bucket of fish, the fish stay cooler by 15 degrees. (I keep pond fish and was cleaning the pond)
So at the crack of dawn the next morning I took a gallon of Kilz 2 to the roof and painted it white. Only had enough to do the eastern and southern end. Fortunately no HOA. But the areas I painted stayed cooler than the rest of the house. I have, by the way, been hanging white plastic blinds on the OUTSIDE of my eastern and southern windows since year 1. Actually since my former house, sometime in the mid-90's. Doesn't help with heat, does help with cooling. But the roof paint still made a huge difference.
This stuff was pretty cool!
In September 2010 I started ripping out rotten window frames, got my helpers out here to help me put new wood and paint and caulk around my old windows. (couldn't afford new dual pane windows.) Finally got the whole house fairly well sealed up.
Winter 2010 was the coldest on record in many years, and my electric central heat totally failed to heat my house, but ran me up huge bills. Then we had rolling blackouts to boot. So 2011 was the year I swore to start getting off grid. My new year's resolution so to speak.
I bought 5 gallons of Kilz2 (cheaper than roof paint and ok on shingles) and painted almost all of the roof white in April
I refinished my antique wood stove in June and had it connected.
I gave away my range and dishwasher in May. The dishwasher I'm not replacing, except with a cabinet. (hadn't used it in 2 years)
The range was replaced with an induction cooktop I got on Amazon for $55. It is a Max Burton 6000. Takes steel or iron pans to work.
I plan to get a second one - to put in a drawer until I have a family dinner event that takes 2 burners. I love this thing. heats up faster than electric, cools down faster. For an oven I'll try to find an outdoor propane oven, I hadn't used it more than 6 times a year in years, and Texas is hot.
We had 70 days over 100 and I had the cheapest summer electric bills I have ever had.
My wood stove, fueled by my fenceline hackberries, seems to do an adequate job of heating the house.
I bought a 15 watt solar panel and converter, battery, etc., to keep my pond fish alive if the rolling blackouts hit this summer. (air pumps use 5 watts) And to learn to work with solar. More to come....
Gypsi
I've even seen 75 shut down, in southern Ohio - cop was turning people away, asked me where I was headed, I said MI, he asked if that was where I was from and I said yes - he let me go! That was an eery trip. Nobody but me (and DS#1), on an unplowed expressway, all the way up to northern Ohio! Was glad my car had a full tank of gas, because nothing was open. My son entertained us by making up a long, drawn out story about us being the only people left on earth 
Bienvenidos! Welcome to "the sunny side of the street".
. My husband is burning up to learn how. So...share the knowledge. I will be reading along, following your journey.
