How to build a quick, cheap Greenhouse
Materials needed for 28 x 15 foot Greenhouse (thanks to Laspilitas): cheap & green *5×20 foot pieces of 5/8 inch rebar (cut in 1/3’s to
The Autonomous House
Off-grid Pioneer BBC Radio had a great dive into the archives tonight (Saturday), with a show about our past visions of the Future House. From
They practice what we preach
Jules Dervaes and his family who live an almost completely self-sufficient life are about to be featured by the New York Times, with their own video on the newspaper’s web site.
Go Gooshing
Goosh till you swoosh Don’t go shopping, go gooshing. The Ethical Company Organisation (ECO) has launched a new ethical products web site, listing products sold
Green, green grants of home
Alex Benady guides you through the maze of UK government payments to reduce your dependence on the grid. Blair poses on solar roof , cancels
DARYL HANNAH ON BEING OFF-GRID
Daryl Hannah has a massive commitment to the environment, and unusually amongst the Hollywood A-list, she puts in real time and effort to forward her
Geodesic Quonset: Inexpensive, Easy DIY Shelter
Geodesic Quonset Many folks are familiar with the concept of a Geodesic Dome, and the great advantages of strength and minimal materials, Geodesic Dome but
Battery Maintenance
PV panels only provide power when the sun is shining and wind generators only produce when there is sufficient wind, which can be less than
LOW PRICE SOLAR PANEL
Exponent Flex 5 Coleman’s Exponent Flex 5 solar energy pack recharge your mobile phone and other small items on the move – at a better
A FUNDING body in the Lake District which helps businesses go off-grid, has 250,000 of grants to hand out before the summer. The Energy for
Beanz meanz Biofuels
Alcohol Still Ethanol is produced from starch-based grains, including corn, barley, grass straw and fast growing poplar trees, and is a replacement or additive for
Geothermal Heating, Cooling & Hot Water
From https://www.hydrodelta.com/: Horizontal Loop GSHP Anyone who has a refrigerator or air conditioner is already familiar with the operation of a geothermal heat pump. Contrary
Back to the Land by Charris Ford
Charris Ford (aka the Granola Ayatollah of Canola) My passion for all things Eco started when I was 18 in the hills of Tennessee, where
Daryl Hannah’s Tipi
Daryl Hannah outside her Tipi (Jeff Lipsky) Actress Daryl Hannah gave us an in-depth interview about her Rocky Mountain hideaway and why she likes to
Waterpower 101
MicroHydro Generator If your homestead can take advantage of water sources to produce electricity, then you have come to the right place. Here are the
Photo-Voltaics (PV)
Burbank Resident Robert Beher on the roof with his 2 kW solar PV system Here on our off-grid homestead, we use PV panels as part
Convert your gas car to electric
Electric Car conversion Victor Tikhonov converted a Honda from gasoline to DC Electric. A few years later, he upgraded it to a AC Electric propulsion
Installing a wood stove
Ancient Kalamazoo Franklin We had a very old Kalamazoo Franklin wood stove that was coming apart at the seams, literally. The final straw was this
Vermont Home Harnesses Wind
In pristine northern Vermont, tucked in the woods, David and Mary Lahar have lived off the electricity grid since moving to their new home in
Woody Harrelson: Getting off the grid
Harrelson is an all-organic vegan, and he and his family spend time well off the grid in the Hawaiian forest with 40 other families in
Rainwater harvesting once common, needed again to promote conservation
By Mike Mecke For thousands of years, the world has relied upon rainwater harvesting to supply water for household, landscape and agricultural uses. How to
Power Toys
Here are a few technical toys for getting and using power in an off-grid home. Power Toys need power Starting with the NiMH battery Charger,
What is off-grid?
Being off-grid means something different to everyone. To me it simply means not being tethered to the services one normally expects of society. Steve Spence
Energy Alternatives
For a clear headed guide to alternative energy sources in a cold (UK) climate, visit Off the Grid. Written by David Allender, who bought a
Beach Hut Crazy
Part of the reason for going off-grid is the obscene price of property. But even high-earners will be appalled at the 140,000 asking price for
Green and Gold
He’s the heir to business millions and she’s the former model who swapped the catwalk and high heels for wellies and a life down on
More progress for UK solar industry
A new factory in North Wales could give the solar energy market in the UK the impetus it needs. The Sharp Corporation, the worlds major
Looking to nature creates a second chance for Welsh Farmers
Faced with a dramatic 75% decline in farming through disasters as diverse as Chernobyl and BSE, many Welsh hill farmers decided to pack up and
Coolest Caravans
Shake off your prejudice and start looking for your tow bar; the chicest (and easiest) way to be independent comes in the form of the
Fantasy Island
A holiday is in the eye of the beholder. No Swimming pool, no tv, no minbars For those who want to truly off-grid when they
Warm indoors
What’s the most effective way generating enough off-grid energy? Try not needing quite so much in the first place. According to the National Energy Foundation,
Nice little package
Imagine this. In the future, you get in from a long, hard day. You open fridge a take out a slab of pasta and pop
Pod Life
Off-Grid loves any excuse to kick back and enjoy the view, and design team The Collaborators have made it possible to do that just about
Fund your Off-grid dreams with OPM (other people’s money)
Wouldn’t it be lovely if someone offered you between 400 to 5000 to cut your bills, help the environment and get off-grid? Following the success
Campaign to change Planning permission
At the BBC they call him the Jamie Oliver of Architecture, but we think of him as the Corbusier of TV presenters: Architect Charlie Luxton
Off-grid living made easy
We will bring you details of job opportunities and advice on every area of off-grid living as well as off-grid books like this one: Eating
7 steps to a successful self-build home
Don’t let anyone tell you that building a house is easy, whether you are off-grid or not. You must surround yourself with the right experts,
Free electricity, from fryer grease
Green Trust, a renewable energy research center, powers their facilities with waste vegetable oil. Their 12.5 kw Detroit Diesel 2-71 generator (the VeggieGen) happily slurps
Greenbuild Expo
Greenbuild International Conference and Expo 2004 in Portland, Oregon on 10th to 12th November – 3 days of workshops, talks and exhibitions for anyone involved
How to grow a vegetable garden
10 easy steps to start a vegetable garden – Select a good spot for your garden: make sure the soil’s well drained, not too shallow,
My free loft in central London
There’s something incredibly exciting about getting into an abandoned building — a huge, disused factory. It gets you right there, you’re scared and a bit
Solar pools
You could make use of your swimming pool (or small lake) for much longer with a solar pool heating system. Pool solar heaters are just
Build your own dome
Self-build geodesic domes course on Dec 10th to 12th at the Low-Impact Living Initiative, Redfield Community, Winslow, Bucks, UK. Build your own low-impact dwelling /
Plant your roof
Green roofs are designed to support the growth of plants. They consist of a special waterproof and root repellant membrane, a drainage system, filter cloth,
Homes 2016
UK planners James Woudhuysen and Ian Abley look forward optimistically to 2016 in Blueprint magazine : Forget the 0.12 million new dwellings that deputy prime
House-Bus
From Clare Morgan Here is one self-build home that got around the planning laws! A CLASSIC BUS that had been converted into a UK home
VW Camper alive in UK
Known as the Type 2, or “bay window” van (its predecessor had a beaky nose and split windscreen), it fell off the twig in Europe
On the ropes and off the grid
How a couple lost everything they owned and still found happiness — off-grid
Sea-scooter
The makers bill the Seascooter as a Personal underwater transporter, but that’s going a bit too far. The Seascooter is just a small, safe hand-held
Caravan sites on racecourses
Even if you are not into gambling or horses, consider using caravan sites at some of the top UK racecourses as a place to park
Arhaus turns Kiwi green
From Organic NZ – Construction has started on a home in West Auckland that, when finished, will mark the start of a new company’s crusade
Read this book
Reading a book is so-o-o off-grid, especially if its a second-hand edition of Henry Thoreau‘s Walden, or Life in the Woods first published 150 years
Ultimate Camper-van
The Camper-van revolution is upon us. The RV is shaking off its image of snoring retirees and untethering itself from power supplies or campsites. Enter
BBC TV series on unusual places to live
Finding and buying your first home has never been harder, we are told, so it should come as no surprise that people are looking for
Off-Grid Forum – www.off-grid.net/forum/
Give us your comments on the off-grid community.
New caravan generation
New trendier designs are attracting a younger crowd into the caravan market. Caravan sales went through the roof last year when the UK became the
Sunwarm heats the UK
A new heating/cooling system relying on solar energy is all the rage among house builders and developers in the UK. Sunwarm solar panels and hot
Garden Solar water feature
Water fountains and other garden features can be powered by small solar panels. Here’s where to find the cheapest ones.
Don’t bin it — compost it
Clean and easy to use, a compost bin to recycle your organic waste is this year’s off-grid must-have accessory. Compost bins can be used in
Montana off-grid place for sale
I have an off-grid place in Montana for sale. Here is some info. $170,000
Book and blog about off-grid houses
Thinking of designing and building your house yourself? Here are a good book and a good blog, packed full of ideas and useful information, to
Off-grid houses for sale
If you want to live off-grid and you have the ready cash, there are off-grid environment-friendly houses for sale out there. But they are hard
Energy efficiency is key to off-grid comfort
Careful planning can decrease the amount of energy consumption of an off-grid building — a key issue if you don’t want to maintain a shed
Actor lives for green energy
Actor Dennis Weaver is doing more than just talking about energy conservation. He created his own environmental consultancy and is regularly seen driving off from
Solar goes stellar
Oil giant BP have a strategy of enlisting celebs to back their green energy program. Actors Daryl Hannah, Pierce Brosnan and Danny DeVito are part
Gotta love that camper…
You’ve always wanted one Here’s what you need to buy the camper van of your dreams.
Indian treehouse has lessons for the West
Amidst the tea and coffee plantations, half way between Mysore and Calicut, in the state of Kerala in India, hides a truly magical place: two
Solar Power in California
There are over 11,000 officially registered homes with solar power in California, up from 900 in 2002. There are many more in the backwoods and
Solar’s the New Black
Soaring electricity prices and fear of recurrent blackouts are pushing liberal New Yorkers to switch to solar power.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Living off-grid means reducing your consumption to the minimum, be it water or energy. To save money on electricity, replace normal light bulbs with energy
Energy Saving
There are simple things you can do to decrease the energy consumption off-grid in your house, shack, tree-house, campervan or boat. Energy efficiency is easy.
Compost It
Composting toilets are great off-grid toilets. No need for water or chemicals, they treat human and organic household waste by composting and dehydration, and the
Off-grid Holiday Farm
Even if you can’t live off-grid you can still unplug and go on holiday on an off-grid farm. Get the nitty-gritty off the grid experience,
Holiday on a Canal Boat
No qualifications are needed to cruise a canal boat, although you do need to learn a few basics before you leave.
My house in a tree
Tree houses are not just for children. A tree house can be a great summer house, studio or reading room
Party tents
Party tents are not just for parties. As well as accommodating 10 people standing, they are a great as shelters for camping or on the
Buying Land in South America
Brazil’s coast-line is for sale and Argentina, still reeling from the economic collapse, also has land deals. Westerners with cash to spare are heading out
The Dymaxion House
It looks like a big metallic mushroom, a futuristic tent or a spaceship. Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion was the first modern house specifically designed to be
The poet who wants to live in a shed
Ever wondered if living without money, in a shed or a cave like our ancestors, would still be possible today? Marcus Moore wants to do
Recycle rainwater
Collecting rainwater is the simplest, cheapest way of getting a water supply. Rainwater harvesting is practiced all over the world. As water becomes scarcer, it
Solar Water Heaters
You don’t need to live in the tropics to heat your water with solar energy. Any sunlight will do. Different situations and climates need different
7 Steps to The Perfect Off-Grid House
Planning to turn your house into an environment friendly, self-sustainable, off- grid haven? Here’s what to do to a perfect off-grid house: Recycle: renovate an
My Beautiful Yurt
Yurts (in Russian) or Gers (the Mongolian word) have marched across the frozen steppes to capture the hearts and minds of Western Bohos. See below