With today’s rising energy costs and unstable world economy, you will want to be in control of your own power for you and your family. It is getting cheap. Cheaper, in fact, everyday to set up your own “off the grid” or “grid-tied” home power systems!
Just look at the tax credit page to see how affordable the government is trying to make it for you. Save your own electricity to battery or sell it to your old utility company. Seriously. It is possible and we show you how. Not only how but where to buy the high quality, cost efficient sustainable, renewable energy producing equipment you will need. Get started now! We make it easy at ‘Home Power Systems‘.com!
Whether with solar panel, small wind turbines, biomass or hydro-electricity generators, it can be easier than you think to power your home yourself. Even selling electricity back to the utility who has been selling it to you for all these years. Home Power Systems.com is dedicated to answering your questions and showing you how to buy what you need to make it a reality!
Our Home Power Systems Packages
| Grid-Tie Solar Systems (GTS) |
| A valuable feature of grid-tie or grid-connected photovoltaic systems is the ability to connect with the existing power grid and sell excessive electricity back to the utility with a plan known as Net Metering. At times when you are not using all of the electricity produced by your system, your meter will spin backwards selling the electricity back to the grid at retail rate. These systems do not include a battery. Power is obtained from the utility grid when the system is not producing electricity. |
| Grid-Tie Systems with Battery Backup (GTB) |
| Grid-Tie Solar Electric Systems with Battery Backup have all the features of the Grid-Tie Systems with the addition of a Battery. The battery can store power for use when the system is not producing electricity such as during the night or during blackouts. That means you never have to buy electricity from the utility unless your batteries are depleted. |
| Off-grid PV Systems (OGPV) |
| Also known as independent or stand alone power, these systems are typically used to power remote homes and cabins. In most cases, if the power lines are more than 1/3 of a mile away, a stand alone renewable energy system can be cost-effective. Solar electric modules charge a bank of batteries, an off-grid inverter converts the DC battery current to standard 120/ 240 volt AC power and the home can be wired normally. These systems can easily accept other battery charging sources such as wind turbines, hydro electric turbines and AC generators. When 2 or more charging sources are used, it’s known as a hybrid power system. Our most popular off-grid option is a solar and wind electric hybrid system. This combination works together to even out the seasonal variations of either power source alone. |
In this video, we meet Jeff, Rose, and their 5 girls who are living completely off grid on a 40-acre piece of land in Northern British Columbia, Canada.
They built their own off-grid house for less than $25,000 with cedar posts sunk into the ground like a pole barn, log rafters, plywood, foam insulation, and a living roof.
The house was so affordable to build because they didn’t have to excavate or pour a concrete foundation, dig a well, or install a septic system.
They have 2 solar power systems to power everything they need. The first solar system is just one solar panel that generates 12-Volt power for their lights, cell phones, and music player.
The larger system is a 2.5 Kilowatt solar power system installed on their shop roof with a lithium ion battery bank that powers their full-sized fridge, a chest freezer, washing machine, as well as a mixer, blender and a toaster.
They have a backup generator but they only have to use it for about 40 hours per year during prolonged cloudy or snowy periods. All of the water the family uses is rainwater collected from their shop roof and stored in a tank under the shop floor to keep it cool.
They carry buckets of water into the house for cooking, dishes and showers. To produce clean drinking water, they filter their rainwater in a passive water filter called a Berkey (check them out here: http://www.berkeyfilters.com). Berkey Water Systems
The grey water from their kitchen sink and shower drains into a shallow grey water field in the backyard. They have 2 composting bucket toilets and they sprinkle sawdust into the buckets after each use to absorb moisture and prevent smells.
For heat, they cut their own firewood for their Blaze King catalytic wood stove, and for their antique cookstove in the kitchen that they use for cooking and baking.
Jeff and Rose homeschool their 5 girls for a few hours each day and also ensure that their kids are learning diverse life skills like growing their own food, caring for horses, raising bees, and more.
We’re very impressed with the clever solutions this family has come up with to make off-grid living seem so easy.
If you want to learn more about this inspiring family and follow their journey, check out their Gridlessness project — they have a blog and a YouTube channel.
Gridlessness YouTube Channel: / @gridlessness
Gridlessness Blog: http://gridlessness.com