This section follows advice given in my previous piece "Property-Buying-Tips-Part-2" and assumes that you have done some preliminary searching and are attracted to a particular location or neighborhood. A very good, but often unconsidered source of information is your local law enforcement office. Be warned that they might give you a somewhat negative view of a neighborhood since that is the nature of their profession. Once you have explained that you're considering a property in an area, they may tell you some very useful information such as problems with neighbors or in the locality.

The realtor / estate agent will have informed you of other amenities such as transport, shopping, access and leisure facilities such as parks and open space. Your legal people should have checked any factors likely to affect your future property such as local authority planning applications, road and other proposals. Similarly, your legal team should check for hidden costs such as service charges (particularly in shared facilities such as apartments, etc), or basics such as water and sewage systems and charges.

Now that you are attracted to an area and are reasonably happy about the neighborhood, what other factors should you consider? If you have children or are considering a family, you will already have checked the local schools and colleges. Another useful way of picking up information about an area is to apply to the local school as a prospective parent; you will be surprised how much information you can get from enthusiastic head teachers! Their school bulletin or prospectus will have some relevant information. While you're visiting the area, don't forget to see i there is a local newspaper. Many localities have free newspapers delivered and some have long-established titles; you should ask in the local shops for these. You will have probably checked internet sources such as bulletin boards to get a feel for an area but don't forget to post a question on Yahoo Answers about particular areas since there are some very helpful people on this free service.

Finally, the often forgotten factors in home purchasing. You have probably asked about facilities such as TV, cable and broadband provision but don't forget to switch on your cellphone and check reception! Another forgotten factor is the effect of light during various parts of the year. This is not so crucial where you are searching in areas nearer the equator, but more important in more northerly or southerly regions. Since the property-viewing market tends to revolve around summer, you might be viewing during the best possible time of the year when daylight is long and the sun's elevation is constantly high. Imagine the effect of the winter sunshine when the angle of the sun is much lower. Conversely, you might be searching in a hot country and looking for shade! The opposite applies - if you're viewing in winter, check the possible trajectory of the sun in summer when that tree or building in the distance will make no difference.

I hope you have enjoyed this series - this is the concluding article. If you found these suggestions useful, please explore and support my websites below.

A musicologist by profession, Dr Scott writes two travel guides in his spare time. _Hidden Dublin_ contains over 200 unique pages, giving advice and tips of many aspects of his native Dublin (Ireland). _Hidden Italy_ is a more recent venture, offering an alternative look at regional Italy. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Durham, UK in 2005 and also holds the Associateship of the Royal College of Organists diploma.

In 2006 our family started contemplating the possibilities of living off the grid, producing our own electricity with Renewable Energy sources. Our electricity bill was about $200 a month and it just kept on growing. We knew there was a better way, so we looked at living off the grid. We decided we wanted to find ways of living off the grid mainly for economic reasons but we also wanted to keep the lifestyle we were already living.

We just didn’t want to give up all of our regular household appliances. As we dug deeper it became clear that with a bit of planning and patience and some serious conservation practices we could achieve this goal. It looked like we could be living off the grid within a few months if we worked hard at it.

Thankfully, we already owned a small cottage that we had been planning on moving to in the future anyways. It was an easy option for us, but there are a lot of country properties for reasonable prices out there too, if you decide to make this option work for you.

Our property was only 40 minutes from town, so there would be no job finding necessary either, just a slightly longer commute to work. We also made arrangements to work from home a couple days a week, so we could enjoy our new found off grid lifestyle.

Years before we had looked at bringing electricity to the cottage, but the hydro authority had told us that it would cost over $14,000 to do so. We didn’t proceed with it because of the high cost. Why would we bring in grid hydro if it would still cost $200 a month and $14,000 just to get it there. Living off the grid now made perfect sense from an economic point of view.

We could use the $14,000 to install Renewable Energy to run our cottage/home. Plus, if we added a conservative 2 years of electricity service expense to the total what would have otherwise been spent on electric bills that’s another $4800.

The total would be $18,800 we could spend on a Renewable Energy system and still be money ahead when compared to bringing in grid electricity. After 2 years we would be money ahead! We would not have to pay electric bills ever again.

We chose solar panels to install in our new home because they were easier to install. We found a great website that offered up tons of advice and really helped with the installation. We wanted to put up a wind generator but we just didn’t have the resources at that point. Later we actually built a wind generator with plans we found. We also had a back room that we could convert into a battery storage area and control room for the inverter, charge controllers etc.

We bought 12 Kyocera solar panels, all of them about 170 watts of power producing capacity. That would give us about 2Kw of production and that was a good start. An electrician friend helped us wire up the system with 16 huge forklift batteries and an inverter for AC power, all charge controlled and set up in case of lightning too. He said that it happens occasionally and you have to protect your investment, so we did.

We run a DC deep well pump and DC lights directly from the batteries. The whole house is run from this system and only occasionally do we have to start up the backup generator.

I hear it every time. It's the question ten out of ten people ask me when I tell them I design custom homes: "Oh? What builders do you work with?"

Anyone who's the least bit interested in building a new home is thinking about builders before they think about floor plans, decorating, building lots, or anything else. Why? Because the builder is the key player; the captain; the guy who manages the entire building process for you; the guy you'll be writing the really big checks to (and you thought house plans were expensive!).

And because everyone knows that the builder can make or break a project.

But how can that be? Wouldn't any builder you choose be working with the same set of plans? Don't all builders have to build to the requirements of the building code? Don't they get the same prices from their suppliers? Doesn't your building contract spell out exactly what the builder must do?

The answers to the questions above are: yes, yes, no, and maybe. But those answers have almost nothing to do with the success of your project.

How Much Do You Know?

If you read the other articles in this series, you might remember my comments about "test-driving" a house. You can't, of course - so without some knowledge you're completely dependent upon others. Through this site you're learning about how to make wiser choices of house plan designs. But if you don't take a few minutes to learn about builders, all that knowledge might just go to waste.

Let's be clear here - the world is full of excellent builders. Great builders, in fact - a few I know are extraordinary. I'd go so far as to say most builders I know do everything in their power to provide a quality service and product to their clients.

Those are the guys you're looking for. There are also guys to avoid.

Horror Stories

Remember that neighbor of yours - the one whose 2-month kitchen remodeling took a year? And then the granite countertops cracked and had to be replaced? What about your cousin who was quoted $300,000 to build his new house - and it ended up costing him $400,000?

Everyone's heard horror stories about houses and it's one of the biggest fears of new homeowners. It's not always the builder's fault when things go wrong - sometimes it's your fault. When it is, it's because you A) didn't thoroughly research your builder's credentials; or B) didn't prepare a detailed set of plans and specifications; or C) tried to get high quality work for a low quality price.

Differences In Expectations

Differences in expectations are the root of all evil in the design and construction business. I had an interesting conversation with a young couple at a party a year or two ago; they'd built their dream home with a local builder and everything had gone wrong. It took too long, it cost too much, and the builder declared bankruptcy before the house was done, throwing the whole project into chaos. What a shame!

I knew of the builder and I knew of his reputation (he'd declared bankruptcy several times before) so I asked the couple what had convinced them to go ahead with him given his checkered past. "We didn't know," they answered. As it turns out, they hadn't checked him out at all - the new model home and the sign in the yard was enough to convince them to hand over $500,000. I'll bet they spent more time researching their plasma TV purchase.

That builder has fled town and is now setting up shop outside of Nashville, Tennessee - watch out Vols!

Difference In Expectations Lesson Number One: just because the builder has completed projects successfully before don't expect that yours will be successful too. You must thoroughly research the qualifications and financial history of anyone you're going to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars too. I can't stress this enough - do it!

Difference In Expectations Lesson Number Two: don't sign a contract without a full set of construction drawings and complete specs. This is the cause of most problems. The neat features and details you saw in the model home won't be in your home unless you specify them in the construction contract. That's what "specs" are - a listing of all the finishes, fixtures, and features that will be in your home. Without that, you can only hope you'll get what you want.

Difference In Expectations Lesson Number Three: don't automatically pick the cheapest guy and hope that he'll deliver a quality product. There's a reason why he's cheapest, and it's not because he's giving away free granite countertops. I'm constantly amazed by how many otherwise intelligent and accomplished businessmen are drawn to the lowest bidder like a moth to a flame.

1. Know Your Budget
How much can you afford? How much do you want to spend? Or how much should you spend? If you are looking at the home as an investment for future turn-over, you may not want to build a log castle on a city lot. If this is your dream and you plan on living there a long time, then you plan for that. Looking at resale is always good with any home purchase. You should write out your plans and discuss them with your spouse, investment partner, banker and financial advisor. Be practical and allow for unforeseen expenses. Consider how much of the work you will be doing yourself. This could allow you to go larger on the home or buy a nicer piece of property.

* Total budget $_______________

* Land $____________

* Home $_____________

2. Purchase Land
For some this step may come at different times. The obvious point is that you will need some land to put your home on.

3. Decide On A Plan
Once you know your budget you can begin to look for a plan. You can get estimates on different plans to figure out the basic size and style of home that will work within your budget. Some folks have been working on this step most of their life, hence the dream. The design process of finding and working with the home style and floor plan that’s right for you can be painstaking. However, this is probably the most important part of the process.

4. Decide On A Log Home Provider
Sometimes finding the provider first can help put some of the other steps in order. The company you decide to buy your log package from should be able to:

* Either build your home or put you in touch with a builder.

* Help you find the right style you are looking for according to your budget, needs, and dreams.

* Supply quality products of the style you have chosen within your budget.

5. Find A Builder
In some cases the log provider is the builder, but you may need to find a contractor / builder. Most log home companies only provide the materials to complete the project. Your log provider should have a network of builders and other contractors and know their qualifications. As the customer, you would be responsible for contracting with the builder and should always check out who you are going to be dealing with for the next one to two years or even longer on some projects.

6. Get Your Permits
Check with your local township and get the paper work for their specific building and inspection process. Find out what type of septic and well you will need for your area. This should be one of your first steps as some areas have specific sizes for homes and septic sizes. Drive around and get the names of other homeowners and builders in your area. Most often they would be happy to share their success story. Tell them you would like to build a log home and ask them for names and numbers of contractors in the area.

7. Hire Someone To Put The Foundation In
The best time to find a foundation contractor is in the off-season. So begin early to secure your spot for when the frost leaves the ground. If you have a builder, he may already have a subcontractor lined up that he likes to work with.

8. Order Your Log Package
Order the log portion of your package as soon as possible to ensure that your logs are cut, peeled and dried when you’re ready for them. At Classic Log Homes, Inc. we are able to provide high quality log products and save you money on your log home by cutting your package to order. We use small, family owned log mills with low overhead and we don’t have a large advertising budget. We are then able to pass the savings on to you. Your best savings comes from our air dried, natural peeled logs. We also have more modern milled, kiln dried, and true handcrafted log packages to fit your budget and individual taste for your one-of-a-kind dream home.

9. Compare Products and Prices With Other Companies
At Classic Log Homes, Inc., the cornerstone of our business is exceptional quality products and services at lower prices. We are confident that you will get larger, higher quality logs for less. So we encourage you to compare with out competitors.

How’s this for a challenge? Create a zero net source energy (as opposed to site energy) home as defined by the Department of Energy’s Building America program. Design it to operate in the extremes of Denver’s unpredictable climate, using off-the-shelf, readily available technologies. Keep the mechanical systems as simple and uncomplicated as possible. Incorporate energy-efficiency strategies that don’t require the home owners to be experts in sustainable building operations or conduct any maintenance beyond that required of a ‘normal’ home.

Not overly difficult, you might say? Add that the design must be replicable for future Habitat for Humanity homes, utilize low-cost construction materials, and allow volunteer- friendly construction techniques. Still with me? The clincher: The target market is the affordable housing sector. Impossible, you might say? Challenging yes, but not impossible for an integrated design team of NREL engineers and Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers. The finished product is a 1,200 square foot, three-bedroom reduced income home that actually produces more source energy than it consumes!

Design Considerations

The combination of energy engineers, a construction manager a real estate development manager and Habitat volunteers on the design helped strike a balance between engineering ideals based on energy modeling, cost realities inherent in affordable housing, and considerations involved in a volunteer construction crew.

Habitat’s volunteer labor advantage steered the design team to approaches that favored low materials costs and high labor costs. While this approach minimizes the substantial labor cost, when combined with the affordable housing requirement it restricts the range of sustainable strategies available. For example, strategies such as structured insulated panels (SIPs) and insulated concrete forms were not considered because of their high cost. Similarly, the requirement for volunteer-friendly construction techniques and ease of replication eliminated the option of using Straw Bale. The design simplicity requirement eliminated the possibility of a combined solar space heating and water heating system. Finally, the zero energy requirement, given Denver’s cold climate and the current high cost of PV systems, required some trade offs that some ‘purists’ might consider controversial.

Design Approach - Envelope

Given the considerations described above, the design team decided to focus first on reducing the home’s energy load as much as possible, and then size the PV system to meet the remaining electricity needs. The first place to look? Yes, you guessed it – a passive solar orientation with a ‘super insulated’ envelope. Starting with a standard Habitat three-bedroom, 26 x 46 square foot design with a crawlspace, the team increased the South-facing glazing area and reduced the North, East and West facing glazing area. Next, a double-stud wall with fiberglass batt construction was selected to take advantage of it’s relatively low cost, volunteer-friendly technique and Habitat’s low construction labor cost. Blown fiberglass installed in the attic achieved an R-60 rating and insulated floors achieved an R-30 rating. While the double stud wall design, with exterior structural studs spaced at 16 inches O.C. might not achieve LEED Homes Advanced Framing Techniques points, the interior studs spaced at 24 inches O.C. certainly meet the requirement. The R-3 fiberglass batts in the exterior wall cavities and the R-13 filling the space between the exterior and interior walls as well as the interior wall cavities definitely help optimize energy performance. An outer vapor-permeable house wrap and fiber cement siding, with and an inner poly vapor barrier plus drywall adds to a very ‘tight’ whole-wall-R value. Blower tests yielded a natural infiltration rate result of 0.15 ACH, a very ‘tight’ indication.

Heating and Ventilation

With the house’s heating energy needs drastically reduced through this super-insulated shell, the design team then focused on the heating and ventilation system. Note that I didn’t mention heating, cooling and ventilation system. Yet another design challenge! Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver has a policy of not equipping its homes with air conditioning. This meant that the final design had to maximize heat reduction (for example by maximizing solar gain) without increasing the cooling energy load.

To supply a proper amount of fresh air to the house while minimizing potential for energy loss, the team opted for an energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system with efficient electronically commutated motors. The system exhausts air from the kitchen and bathroom, and supplies fresh air to the living room and bedrooms. Heat loss from ventilation is reduced because the ERV system heats the incoming air with warmth from the exhaust air.

The design team soon discovered that a very low heating load is a double edged sword. On the one hand very little energy is required to heat the house. On the other hand, most commonly available heating systems are oversized for such low heating needs, and overly complicated or expensive systems cannot be cost-justified. After carefully considering a variety of high-efficiency heating systems, and much internal debate, the team decided to follow a hybrid approach of electricity from the PV system, and natural gas.

Controversial Approach

Some of us who are ‘purists’ may turn up our noses at the thought of a zero energy home using natural gas. However, the economics involved convinced the design team that a hybrid approach was the best solution (see side bar)

The PV system selected by the design team uses the local utility grid for storage, thus eliminating the substantial cost of the storage battery. When the system is producing more energy than is being used, it delivers energy to the grid. When the system produces less energy than it produces, it draws electricity from the grid.

When the system draws electricity from the grid, it is likely drawing fossil-fuel generated electricity. Although a larger sized PV system may minimize the volume of electricity drawn from the grid, the cost of larger systems is prohibitive. The design team opted to include natural gas in order to reduce the size of the PV system by 1.1 kW, making it much for affordable for a Habitat Home. The team designed the system to offset the natural gas used, thus achieving, and even surpassing, the goal of net zero source energy.

The hybrid approach allowed the team to size the PV system that is affordable, offsets the use of natural gas as well as any grid generated electricity, and thus allows the home to achieve (and even surpass) the goal of net zero source energy. The hybrid space heating system combines a pointsource direct-vent natural gas furnace in the dining room and living area, with small baseboard electric-resistance heaters in the bedrooms.

Water Heating

The design team selected a solar water heating system – rather than a combined space/water hearing system – for simplicity, backed up by a natural gas tankless water heater. The team calculated that the 96 square foot collector area and 200 gallon water storage would result in an annual solar-savings fraction of 88%. They opted for the tankless natural gas back up heater after finding that the tankless system uses zero heating energy whenever the solar water tank is at or above 115 degree water delivery temperature.

The Crowning Element

Having reduced all possible energy loads as much as possible, the design team zeroed in on the lighting, appliances and miscellaneous electric loads (MELs). They installed compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the house, and ENERGY STAR label appliances. This left the miscellaneous electric loads, from TV, hair dryer, toasters, computers, and anything else that could be plugged in by the occupants. Using Built America benchmark assumptions on MELs, the team settled on a 4kW PV system. Because the Built America assumptions on based upon a national average of a ‘typical’ American household, the actual occupant use and local climate may either block the home from achieving zero energy usage, or propel it to the ranks of ‘net energy producer’.

The Verdict

Initial test results were encouraging. From the February to July of 2006, the PV system produced 1,600 kWh more electricity than the house consumed. Factoring in the natural gas used for space heating and water heating backup, the house produced 75% more source energy than it consumed. Although a longer testing period is required, it’s a safe bet to say that the house will be an annual net energy producer rather than just achieve net zero energy user. However, this could change if the occupants begin using more than the average calculated into the Built America benchmark.

And the home owners? While it is true that the house is a net energy producer, they unfortunately are not free from utility bills. There is the monthly charge for the natural gas, as well as fixed charges for the electric grid and natural gas connection fees. From October of 2005 to May of the 2006, the owners shelled out an average of $18.25 per month in energy bills. Because the fixed monthly charges averaged 80% of those bills, in actuality the family used on average $14.60 worth of energy.

For those of us who suffered through $200+ monthly energy bills during that same period, those results are very compelling.

KEY RESIDENTIAL SUSTAINABLE FEATURES

Energy and Atmosphere

Passive Solar Design
• The house was designed with increased glazing area on the long South facing side, and reduced glazing area on the North, East and West facing sides.

Renewable Energy
• 4kW Photovoltaic system using utility power grid storage to eliminate need for and associated high cost of, storage battery

Insulation
• Raised heel trusses in attic allow 2 ft of blown fiberglass insulation, achieving R-60 rating for thermal envelope top
• Floors insulated to R-30
• R-3 fiberglass batts in outer 2 x 4 structural stud wall cavities, and a second, interior 2x4 stud wall with R-13 fiberglass batts placed horizontally between stud walls and vertically in interior wall cavities
• Outer vapor-permeable house wrap and fiber cement siding
• Inner poly vapor barrier and drywall

Space Heating
• Hybrid natural gas/electric heating system, combining a pointsource direct-vent natural gas furnace in the living room and dining area, and small baseboard electric-resistance heaters in the bedrooms. This combination provides the added bonus of zone heating, as each appliance has its own independent thermostat.

Water Heating
• Solar water heating system with 96 square feet collector area and 200 gallon water storage tank as primary water heating system, with natural gas tankless water heater as a back up system

Windows
• Double – glazed, low –e glass installed in South facing windows, with U-factor of 0.3 and SHGC of 0.58. For the East, West and North facing windows, Double – glazed, low – e glass was also used, with a U-factor of 0.22 and SHGC value of 0.27. The U-factors of all windows exceed (ENERGY STAR requirements by 20%). Appliances
• ENERGY STAR® appliances were installed.

Lighting
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs deployed throughout the house

Indoor Environmental Quality

Local Exhaust
• Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system with efficient electronically commutated motors, exhausts air from the kitchen and bathroom, and supplies fresh air to the living room and bedrooms.

Outdoor Air Ventilation
• The ERV system heats incoming fresh air with warmth of the exhaust air, thus significantly reducing heat loss from ventilation. Materials and Resources

• Advanced Framing Techniques: Walls consist of inner 2x4 stud wall, 24 inches O.C.

So you want to build your own home. Have you considered everything you need to in order to undertake this challenge? If you feel you are ready to start home building then read the following eight tips to see if you really are or not. These tips will really help you consider everything that must be considered before you begin building your own home.

Tip #1 Organization
You must be organized in order to build your own home and you need to have everything laid out in a step by step way to help you along the way. Takeoff software will help you stay organized so this is a good investment early on.

Tip #2 Construction Crew
You won’t be hammering every single nail and installing every single faucet by yourself, or at least most won’t be. So, a construction crew is important. Know who to choose to be on your construction team in order to make your home building project a fun and enjoyable one not to mention one that is successful!

Tip #3 Finances
You need to know how much the home will cost so you know what you can afford in regards to style, framework, style, and the like. Use construction estimating software to help you in this area if you are not good at estimating.

Tip #4 Budget
If you will be applying for a mortgage or construction loan you will need to have a very detailed budget. Your construction estimating software will come into play here as well and help you create an estimate and stick to it.

Tip #5 Style
There are a lot of choices to make when it comes to the style of your home. This includes the foundation and everything else. So, be prepared to choose the styles you like best.

Tip #6 The Perfect Plan
A perfect house plan is important if you are building your own home. You will want to know where you want to go and a guide to get you there. Your house plan will work wonders.

Tip #7 Home Structure
If you have a lot of experience building homes then you are probably well aware of home structure and the internal and external elements. If you are not be sure to do your research ahead of time to avoid all potential problems. It is guaranteed you will run into problems if you are not prepared.

Tip #8 Use Quality Materials
You want to use quality building materials in your home so make sure you are aware of where you can find them. DO a little research to find the best quality materials and the best prices.

This section follows advice given in my previous piece "Property-Buying-Tips-Part-2" and assumes that you have done some preliminary searching and are attracted to a particular location or neighborhood. A very good, but often unconsidered source of information is your local law enforcement office. Be warned that they might give you a somewhat negative view of a neighborhood since that is the nature of their profession. Once you have explained that you're considering a property in an area, they may tell you some very useful information such as problems with neighbors or in the locality.

The realtor / estate agent will have informed you of other amenities such as transport, shopping, access and leisure facilities such as parks and open space. Your legal people should have checked any factors likely to affect your future property such as local authority planning applications, road and other proposals. Similarly, your legal team should check for hidden costs such as service charges (particularly in shared facilities such as apartments, etc), or basics such as water and sewage systems and charges.

Now that you are attracted to an area and are reasonably happy about the neighborhood, what other factors should you consider? If you have children or are considering a family, you will already have checked the local schools and colleges. Another useful way of picking up information about an area is to apply to the local school as a prospective parent; you will be surprised how much information you can get from enthusiastic head teachers! Their school bulletin or prospectus will have some relevant information. While you're visiting the area, don't forget to see i there is a local newspaper. Many localities have free newspapers delivered and some have long-established titles; you should ask in the local shops for these. You will have probably checked internet sources such as bulletin boards to get a feel for an area but don't forget to post a question on Yahoo Answers about particular areas since there are some very helpful people on this free service.

Finally, the often forgotten factors in home purchasing. You have probably asked about facilities such as TV, cable and broadband provision but don't forget to switch on your cellphone and check reception! Another forgotten factor is the effect of light during various parts of the year. This is not so crucial where you are searching in areas nearer the equator, but more important in more northerly or southerly regions. Since the property-viewing market tends to revolve around summer, you might be viewing during the best possible time of the year when daylight is long and the sun's elevation is constantly high. Imagine the effect of the winter sunshine when the angle of the sun is much lower. Conversely, you might be searching in a hot country and looking for shade! The opposite applies - if you're viewing in winter, check the possible trajectory of the sun in summer when that tree or building in the distance will make no difference.

In 2006 our family started contemplating the possibilities of living off the grid, producing our own electricity with Renewable Energy sources. Our electricity bill was about $200 a month and it just kept on growing. We knew there was a better way, so we looked at living off the grid. We decided we wanted to find ways of living off the grid mainly for economic reasons but we also wanted to keep the lifestyle we were already living.

We just didn’t want to give up all of our regular household appliances. As we dug deeper it became clear that with a bit of planning and patience and some serious conservation practices we could achieve this goal. It looked like we could be living off the grid within a few months if we worked hard at it.

Thankfully, we already owned a small cottage that we had been planning on moving to in the future anyways. It was an easy option for us, but there are a lot of country properties for reasonable prices out there too, if you decide to make this option work for you.

Our property was only 40 minutes from town, so there would be no job finding necessary either, just a slightly longer commute to work. We also made arrangements to work from home a couple days a week, so we could enjoy our new found off grid lifestyle.

Years before we had looked at bringing electricity to the cottage, but the hydro authority had told us that it would cost over $14,000 to do so. We didn’t proceed with it because of the high cost. Why would we bring in grid hydro if it would still cost $200 a month and $14,000 just to get it there. Living off the grid now made perfect sense from an economic point of view.

We could use the $14,000 to install Renewable Energy to run our cottage/home. Plus, if we added a conservative 2 years of electricity service expense to the total what would have otherwise been spent on electric bills that’s another $4800.

The total would be $18,800 we could spend on a Renewable Energy system and still be money ahead when compared to bringing in grid electricity. After 2 years we would be money ahead! We would not have to pay electric bills ever again.

We chose solar panels to install in our new home because they were easier to install. We found a great website that offered up tons of advice and really helped with the installation. We wanted to put up a wind generator but we just didn’t have the resources at that point. Later we actually built a wind generator with plans we found. We also had a back room that we could convert into a battery storage area and control room for the inverter, charge controllers etc.

We bought 12 Kyocera solar panels, all of them about 170 watts of power producing capacity. That would give us about 2Kw of production and that was a good start. An electrician friend helped us wire up the system with 16 huge forklift batteries and an inverter for AC power, all charge controlled and set up in case of lightning too. He said that it happens occasionally and you have to protect your investment, so we did.

We run a DC deep well pump and DC lights directly from the batteries. The whole house is run from this system and only occasionally do we have to start up the backup generator.