How to - get off grid as low-income family?

awetismfamily

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Hi SS friends--
We are a low-income family and I'd really appreciate some feedback here.

Solar looks great, but we don't have resources to purchase panels, and a tax 'credit' won't help us because we are short on income (due to disability issues) so we can't benefit from a credit.

Home made solar still requires investment and know-how...not sure I am the girl to get this done, although I am darned handy on general carpentry, plumbing and basic electrical.

Wind could be interesting-- we are in North Alabama -- not sure we have enough wind to deal with our energy needs and then there's the expense again for purchasing the wind turbine. Anybody have good info on home-made wind turbines that actually would work? We live in a city but small enough town and out near woods, so maybe zoning wouldn't be a problem if we found a cheap way to build a decent turbine system...

How about passive solar storage in winter?? Long ago, I'd seen a system with an enclosed 18-24" space painted black, to collect radiant heat, then vented into the living space for heat. Any personal testimonials or links out there with instructions?

Looking for SS members' TOP 5 CHEAP OR FREE WAYS TO GET OFF THE GRID We are a family of 4, and sadly do require a/c because of allergies and asthma issues for some of us.

Any suggestions? Thanks! :D
 

Bettacreek

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I JUST read something about the black box for heat, but they were arguing over how effective it was over just letting the sun shine through the windows. I've also read (I believe here) about people using aluminum cans, painting them black and framing them to heat water. I forget the exact mechanics of it, but maybe that's enough to do a search on? One thing I've thought about is those little solar lights with panels... I wonder if you could pick up a bunch for really cheap (free?) and assemble something? I don't know if it's possible or not, but I've been wondering about it.
 

FarmerChick

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AC requires ALOT of power. if you can not do a 'real wind' or 'real solar' setup up then getting off grid AND having AC is not doable.


heck I am trying to get solar on my 5th wheel camper to run ac. the amt. of watts I need just to run a small AC unit on my camper is very expensive.


for a home. Nope, without doing it for real, AC will not happen, sorry
 

Beekissed

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I agree....AC and off-grid are not natural brothers. You could look into property on which you could build a straw bale/cob home...cheap building materials and incredibly cool inside during the summer months. Log cabins are also self-insulating and stay cooler than most stick construction during the summer months.

My advice is to review exactly why you want to go off-grid and how important it is to you to do so. If it is really important, then review what you are willing to fore go to get there...are you willing to go without AC and learn to adapt or find ways to manage things like allergies and asthma in such an environment?

You could find a place outside city limits that has its own well, build an outhouse, limit all power usage to just running the AC and go with all manual tools, washing machines, kerosene lights, bird baths, wood heat, solar hot water heating, etc. You wouldn't be truly off-grid but you'd be almost there.

Other than that, I know of no cheap way to develop or make solar, wind, hydro power that will run AC and power a house.
 

the funny farm6

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We were off grid for @5 mos last summer. When it got too hot out we used a generator to run our small a/c in a bed room. We also ran a tv/dvd player, and the fridge, and a few other small appliences as nessisary. And the generator would run@12 hrs on a tank of gas. It might have gone longer if it was just the a/c. We borrowed one at first till we found one cheap at an auction.

I have seen one of the solar heaters made out of a window and soda cans painted black. I bealive they said the heat coming out of it was @ 100+ degrees. Heated a large room addition with no problem. I saw instructions for it on here but not sure where.
 

Wannabefree

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Hi, I'm just into Tennesse above and to the left of you. It gets HOT here, no way to safely go without AC. People die from heat around here. I have looked into it too, but can't find anything reasonable enough to warrant sticking my neck out there to try it. We're lower income as well at the moment, so I know where you're coming from. I have yet to find anything really feasible :/ Winter time is easier for heating, but summer time you just have to grin and bear it when the bill comes for that cold air. The cheap way is to darken windows on the sunny side/sides of the house with blackout type curtains to keep the heat from coming in as much as possible and run the AC only during the hottest parts of the day or when someone has health issue with it being too much. Fans at night are good too unless the humidity is too high, then it's AC still but can be run less at least. I feel your pain!
 
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