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Life Off Grid
What 'Off Grid' Really means
We had already planned to focus on major renewable energy for our new home, but when faced with £48,000 quote to connect to the nearby power grid, we chose to go all-in become completely off-grid. While researching the feasibility of this decision, we were clear about our desire not to compromise our experience of 'normal' family living. We don’t take short showers, only run the washing machine at weekends, turn off lights in order to use the hairdryer. Everything works as smoothly as any domestic 3/4 bedroom family home - we have a washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, 2 bathrooms, and 2 teenage girls; need I say more?
Our Off Grid Set Up - Water
We've created a chemical-free private drinking water system on your croft that sources water from a local burn (stream). Inspired by hydroponic filtration methods, the set up purifies the water using a pre-filter followed by conventional sediment filters and UV light treatment to ensure it is safe and pure.
Our Off-Grid Set up - Electricity
We have a total of 31 solar panals spread over our house roof and barn, giving us a total of 14kW of solar. This combined with 30kWh battery storage enables us to comfortably meet our energy needs over at least 8 months of the year. We have a back up diesel generator which we run to top up the battery's during the darker months when the solar can't meet requirements.
Communications
Due to slow local landline speeds (less than 10Mbps) and unreliable mobile coverage caused by storm-related power cuts, we became one of the first families in Scotland to adopt Starlink. This satellite internet connection has kept us seamlessly online, even through major storms.
Waste
As part of our off-grid lifestyle, we manage our own wastewater using a sewage treatment tank. To protect the nearby loch from pollution, the system processes the waste to a high level of cleanliness before safely discharging it into a soakaway.
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