Passive & Off Grid. Yes, no, maybe?

Off Grid? Yes, no, maybe! It's so convenient to open a tap and water spurts out. It so convenient to open a hot tap and hot water spurts out. Conversely, it's really inconvenient when you open a tap and what you get is not what you expect.

Passive is really just a funky reference to using solar energy. It's as simple as that and no more. In fact solar is responsible for the winds, rivers and waterways too. So anything that uses hydro or wind or direct solar is just that: solar. And solar does not work so well when the sun does not shine. Or more directly, passive goes out the window when the sun does not shine: there is no passive heating, the solar panels are ineffective and there is no hot water. Simple. But when the sun does shine, it works a treat and that's probably 95% of the time. Human nature is such that when things are working fine, we take it all for granted - that's what we have been taught to expect. We're not grateful, it's just part of the service. And when things don't work just right, we're indignant, frustrated and even angry. Well if you plan to rely on passive energy and intend to be off grid, then your mood will definitely be defined by the weather and the moon phase may just make things worse. So be prepared and better still, change your habits and expectations well before you plan on providing your own services.

So just how big does it have to be for it to work? How many solar panels, how much water storage & how much habit change? Quite simply, if you don't want any habit change, then you're unlikely to have enough solar panels or water tanks. And even then, you'll be undone by the simplest of things. Take for example, our grey water tank that provides the water for all our toilets. Five hundred litres of water, which is enough for nearly 100 flushes. It gets refilled weekly and can last over a week but if one cistern has a slight leak, it won't last the night! 500 litres gone, just gone. The rain water storage of 30,000 litres which should be lasting us 6 months can be dusted in one month. This seems odd as we collect around two 500l tanks of grey water per week from all of our showers, basins and kitchen. Aaah, the vegetables! Take a hose to the vegetables and discover just how little water 30,000 litres really is. Add to that a dripping tap and your off grid dreams are down the plug hole. On the solar front, give yourself three days of continuous overcast weather and start considering the issues...the hot water's not so hot (in fact it's cold), the washing doesn't really dry that well and is backing up and the house is beginning to lose that comfortable temperature. Thankfully you still have electricity until of course the tumble drier is brought into play on the back of your geyser element. We don't have heaters (we have a very effective fireplace), but in a conventional house you'd need a whole new mortgage to install a solar array and battery bank large enough to deal with the combined assault of geyser elements, heaters and a tumble drier during an overcast spell.

Fortunately, one of the key requirements behind getting off grid was to be adaptable. This cannot be under-emphasised. We consistently fail to place sufficient value on the services our municipality provides us and in particular the endless supply of fresh water. Without this fairly basic service everything comes to an abrupt halt. Considering the value of this service, and now for the first time being able to appreciate its value, I'm surprised that every household does not have an emergency water reserve backed up by a borehole or rainwater harvesting. Absurdly we have insurance for all the expendable things in our lives but not this. One thing is for certain, in this house we can easily adapt to a very limited supply of water and I now know that it is in the adapting where the difficulty lies.

So you want to get off grid then? Easy. Go and camp in a remote spot for six months. One where there is no running water, sanitation, hair dryers, hot water, clean clothes, hair dryers and straighteners or fresh vegetables. Get your habits and expectations adapted first and then move into your off grid home. You'll then be grateful for all the luxuries that present themselves and will easily cope on those days when the sun does not shine. You'll also understand the value of water and that it's far more important than having light. You'll also understand the value of having a plan B since an off grid plan A is not as reliable as being plugged into a power station or a supermarket.