How to Power an Off Grid House

It’s rare to find a viable plot or existing house that’s completely off grid, in that it has access to neither gas nor electricity.

However, many self builders and renovators will have had to do without one or the other. Some even aim to go completely fossil fuel-free and create a home that’s powered entirely by renewables.

If your plot or project can’t be cost-effectively connected to one or both of the mains supplies, but you’re still keen to forge ahead, the most important strategy will be to minimise your demand for energy in the first place.

Space heating is normally the building service that uses the most energy, so begin by designing to reduce or even eliminate the need for it.

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If you build to Passivhaus principles for instance, in some cases it is possible to do without space heating completely until the outside temperature drops below zero. That’s because the warmth from solar gain, occupation, cooking and lighting is sufficient to maintain the internal temperature within acceptable comfort levels.

The same idea applies to electricity. By designing in plenty of natural light, the need for artificial sources can be greatly reduced. This is very important in the circulation areas of dwellings, such as corridors and stairwells, as well as in living spaces.

By building in areas to dry clothes, selecting the most efficient white goods and using LED lighting throughout, electricity demand can be minimal.

What to do if there’s no power

If your site is truly off grid, and you have no connection to mains electricity, there are several approaches that you can take. You could choose to run your home solely on renewables; on fossil-fuel based generators; or a combination of both. Here’s a closer look at the options:

Renewable power & batteries

The problem with most domestic renewables is that the supply is intermittent. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels only generate electricity when there is sufficient sunshine, for instance, and this is unlikely to be at night when the lights need to be on. It’s a similar story with micro wind turbines, as they can only function when there’s enough breeze.

The only exception to the problem of intermittency with renewables is if you are lucky enough to have a constant stream running through your plot, with sufficient flow and head to provide hydro power (usually pico hydro, which runs via a weir). This is the most reliable form of renewable electricity, as it’s 24/7 and is almost silent in operation – but very few people will have a suitable resource on site.

What this all boils down to is that the only way to get renewable power at all times is to install battery storage. This means that electricity produced when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing can be used later on, when it’s required. The downside is that the addition of battery storage will add £7,000 or more to your installation costs – on top of whatever renewables you’re installing.

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