Maintaining Off Grid Systems in Winter
Keeping things running when the sun's not shining
Some days, I wonder what it must be like to live off the grid in a truly warm climate like California. Sunshine year-round, no snow covering your solar panels and I bet their generators never get jammed up with ice.
While living off the grid in a cold climate has its challenges, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Read More: Maintaining Off-Grid Systems in Winter
We spent 5 years fully off-grid with a battery bank charged by solar and wind. I’ll admit, it felt like maintaining this house was a full-time job, and we found ourselves relying on generator power more than I liked in the winter months.
Five years ago, we decided to keep our off-grid setup…but add a grid tie. The idea was, we’d still live “off grid” but then could flip the grid switch to charge the batteries if need be, and we’d do that instead of running a noisy propane generator.
It’s actually worked out really well, and given that the grid goes down regularly for 4 to 5 days at a time during severe winter storms, our grid-tied “off-grid” house has been pretty spectacular. Kind of a best-of-both-worlds setup, with solar and batteries for every day and then both grid and generator as backup.
Off Grid Living
Looking for more off grid living inspiration?
Our Off-Grid Solar and Wind Setup (Tour and Specs)
Moving Off Grid on a Budget (Affordable Off Grid)
10 Luxuries We Have Off Grid (That Most Suburban Homes Don't)
Things You Might Need This Week
DIY Root Cellar Plans (Low Cost, Simple Design)
Seasonal Preserving
Recipes to keep your larder full all year round…in season now:
How to Preserve a Whole Pig Without Refrigeration - You’re really getting the off-grid theme of this newsletter by now, I hope =)
Potted Meat (Historical Food Preservation Technique)
Preserving Eggs in Limewater (Keeps 12+ Months)
This newsletter may contain affiliate links.
Things I’m Loving
Field Company ~ By far the nicest modern cast iron I’ve come across to date. These are high quality, and live up to old-time standards.
Etsy ~ Believe it or not, most of my best-cast iron came from collectors on etsy. When modern manufacturers disappoint, you can always just buy dependable antique cast iron that was made to last millennia. (And if you’re curious, here’s how you make waffles on a stovetop cast iron waffle maker.)
What are you harvesting, preserving, building, or exploring on your homestead this week? I’d love to hear about it!
Leave me a note in the comments…
(Comments only, please. Emails tend to get lost in my inbox, and as much as I’d love to get back to each and every one, my screen time is very limited…and things fall through the cracks, and emails get buried in my inbox. If you comment here, they’re all in one place, and it’s much easier to get back to every single one.)
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
Just wanting to ask question about subscriptions . I tried to cancel my subscription but I don't know how to cancel. I saw in my January bank account a charge of $50.00 how could I cancel the subscription. Do I need to cancel it in my bank? Please answer. I really not used so much for were in the process of moving?
I love how knowledgeable you are and that you practice what you preach. I grew up on a farm where we used our own resources to run everything. I married a city boy and no longer enjoy that lifestyle. I just wanted to say I appreciate everything you post and share stuff with a lot of people that I get from your emails. I am in Canada and look forward to everything you send. Thank you