For several years now, the trend of off-grid living has been spreading further and further to the Netherlands. A very beautiful, environmentally friendly and minimalist initiative. But when do you live ‘off the grid’, or ‘autarkic’? Can any home just go off the grid? And what do you need if you want to live and live like this yourself?
THE MEANING OF LIVING OFF GRID
Remote living, autarkic living and off grid living. All terms in line with each other. But what does it mean? A home that is completely self-contained and not connected to anything is an off grid home . This means that the house is not connected to a sewerage system, mains power and water and gas pipes. In short: the house is completely self-sufficient. This is possible through smart designs and installations. Consider, for example, solar panels, heat pumps, rain barrels and helophyte filters. In this way you can run a home completely off the grid.
WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO LIVE ‘AUTARKICALLY’
There are quite a few advantages to living completely off the grid. First of all, many of the facilities we now use in homes can be made greener with sustainable installations such as heat pumps and solar panels. And it is precisely with those installations that you can go off the grid. In addition, a self-sufficient house is cheaper ! For example, if you generate your own electricity, your energy bill will often go down considerably. So you also fill your wallet with it. Finally, you naturally experience a lot of freedom , because you are – literally – not attached to anything.
WHERE CAN YOU LIVE OFF GRID?
In principle, you can live off the grid anywhere, and even every home can be off the grid. But that does not mean that it is cheaper and more sustainable for every home and in every situation to live off the grid. Take, for example, a large house where you live with many people. Then you have to generate a lot of solar energy yourself to be able to provide electricity and hot water to everything and everyone in your home. In addition, you need a lifepo4 battery to store all the energy, because the sun in the Netherlands unfortunately shines less during the winter months. You can, however, create a holistic ecosystem for every home . If you insulate the house better by putting trees around your house, for example, you will have to generate less solar energy to heat and cool your house. That way you have a better chance that your house can go off the grid. Houses that can go off the grid anyway are tiny houses . We also see these small houses more and more in the Netherlands. Because these houses are very small, you don’t have to generate that much energy to heat and power the entire surface. You can even install a wood stove to heat your home in the winter (when it is less sunny). In any case, we advise you to take a good look at your situation and to have a clear overview of your wishes and needs.
THE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
First think for yourself what your ambitions are. Would you like to live off grid in a tiny house (in nature)? Then we have 5 tips for you to realize that. It is then useful to approach a party who can look with you at which installations you need, so that both you and nature can derive the most benefit from it. If you want to make your current home or a new home more sustainable, this is also the logical step. We are of course happy to help you with that. We then look together at your wishes and consumption, so that we can determine what you need to live comfortably and in balance with nature.