There are a lot of great reasons why you might want to live off-grid. For one thing, it can save you money in the long run. Though you might need to spend a little upfront in order to get this lifestyle in place, over time you are bound to save money on the likes of energy usage and so on. So that is one reason that a lot of people go off-grid. Then there is the eco-friendliness of this lifestyle, and in fact this is something that is becoming more popular as it also becomes more and more pressing.
Whatever your underlying inspiration for doing so, moving off-grid is one of the best things you can do. But how do you actually go about making it a reality? In this post, we are going to take you through a few of the main options you have if you want to think about living off-grid. If any of the following take your fancy, consider researching them more deeply.
Van
If you have been following the van life community on Instagram, and you’re wondering whether you could do this for yourself, the truth is that it is one of the most effective kinds of off-grid lifestyle out there. Part of the joy of van life, of course, is that you can go wherever you want and always have your home with you. That is a wonderful thing, and it’s something that draws a lot of people to this lifestyle every year.
You’ll need to find a van that you think is a suitable enough size, and then work out how to turn it into a living space. That will need to include a bed, a kitchen, and something for heating such as a burner. Done right, this kind of lifestyle can be incredibly affordable and free, and it’s something that you might find quite enjoyable on the whole. Many people who live in vans say that it is a very rewarding experience in general.
Narrowboat
A lot of people walk along the canals and think to themselves: this is the life. If you are someone who has thought this, you might be curious to know how to go about adopting this particular kind of off-grid lifestyle. In fact, it is one of the more comfortable ways of going off-grid, and there are so many people doing it these days that you will find yourself in good company. In fact, the canal community is one of the nicest subsets of the culture as a whole, and many people remark on how friendly the people can be.
To live on a narrowboat, you’ll need to work out what length you need. They range anywhere from about 30ft up to 72ft, so there is plenty of range to think about there. Then you need to look at your energy options, and for that you have a couple of great things to consider: solar and wind.
Solar energy these days is incredibly powerful, and you will be able to charge up your 12vt batteries even in the depths of winter on a dark day. All you need is a solar panel and a charger to control it, and you’re good to go. Once installed, there are no further costs, so it really is just free energy forever. For wind, it’s very similar, though you might not get quite as much as from solar.
All in all, narrowboat living is very free and easy and enjoyable, and it’s certainly an option to consider if you like the romantic things in life.
Caravan
For those who want to live in a van but don’t necessarily want to move around all the time, there is always the option of living in a caravan on a caravan site. With this, you will be paying for the spot, but you’ll have an off-grid lifestyle that you don’t need to worry about too much, and which can actually be extremely comfortable and relaxing too. To make a caravan work as a home, you should consider making it more homely – for instance, by installing some Dorema Awnings and the like. The more cozy you make it, the more that you are bound to enjoy it as a lifestyle, so this is definitely something to think about.
Communes
Believe it or not, there are still communes out there if you know where to look, and these can be an option for off-grid living if you are particularly keen on having a hands-on community around you. The energy is often sourced via solar and wind, as above, and you’ll probably be helping a community to put it all together in order to make use of it. Likewise, you may do some allotment gardening together for your food. All of this is a lot of hard work, but there are few kinds of lifestyles which are more rewarding than this.