If you're looking at this book, you probably already have off-grid aspirations. So how can you solidify those abstract ideas into concrete form? In How to Build the Perfect Off-Grid Home, Roxyanne Spanfelner, who built a remote off-grid home four years ago, offers practical advice to navigate the often complex and perplexing process.
Before you dismiss this book because you think it is only for those who wish (and can afford) to build a new home from scratch with all the newest technology, please don't be misled. While it does deliver a detailed, ground-up, start-to-finish guide for the new generation of off-gridders, it has something for everyone. If you're not quite ready to cut the power cords, you'll find a vast range of highly energy-efficient options to make retrofitting your existing home easier and more affordable. Inside these pages, you'll find out how to:
Determine whether it is better for you to go gridless or modify your energy grid-based system
Design a floor plan utilizing the best passive and active energy options
Find the right contractors to oversee your project
Select the right building materials, appliances, and lighting to maximize energy savings
Assess the pros and cons of wind and energy alternative-power systems
Create and operate your own "private utility company" for power generation, water collection, and waste disposal
Set up a reliable and affordable maintenance schedule
Spanfelner explains why building off grid was the right choice for her family, as it has been for about a million others across America. Maybe it is for you too. This book shows you how to declare your independence from the utility companies, reduce your carbon footprint, and reap the financial and psychological rewards of a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
