It’s turned out to be one of the best investments we’ve ever made—financially and environmentally.


~Ron Blumenfeld, a six-year solar convert in Fairfield, Connecticut


vantages are lower upfront cost and access to the grid when needed. Connecting to the grid makes sense


for all alternative power sources, because wind and solar are intermittent, and don’t always provide power. Also, most states offer net metering, which requires the local utility to pay for the electricity a home- owner puts back into the grid.


began building their 36-foot-by-36-foot timber frame home from scratch. Next up was a septic system, then a clean water source and, of course, alternative energy. Teir rooſtop solar panels are backed up by a reliable Honda generator. Tey had some setbacks, which is to be


expected. Now they’re blogging about it. “We didn’t want corporate jobs, we didn’t want to live in the city, commute to work or have a mortgage payment,” they write in their online homestead journey at PureLivingForLife.com. Off-the-grid living has become


downright fashionable, especially for the eco-conscious. But leaving the rat race isn’t easy, and it’s not for everyone. Yet, anyone that wants to become more energy-inde- pendent can succeed without moving to an isolated cabin; and there’s never been a bet- ter time, because prices keep coming down and technology keeps improving. Choos- ing the best option depends on several factors, including the specific residence, climatic zone, town and neighborhood.


24 Greater Oklahoma/OKC Edition


Power Switch J


Taking a Home Off the Grid Preliminary Considerations


by Jim Motavalli


esse Stafford and Alyssa Craſt quit their jobs in 2015, bought five acres of remote land far away from utilities and


Power source: Choose from among solar ($12,000 to $50,000, depending on the system’s size), wind ($6,000 to $22,000, including installation) or geothermal ($20,000 to $25,000).


Ample resources: Find out if there’s steady wind, plentiful sun, a place to install geothermal pipes and whether the home is properly oriented for solar without ob- struction by trees or tall buildings.


Electricity needed: Get a quick average by adding up the wattage of all appliances, and then add 50 percent. Te American average is 10,000 kilowatt-hours annually, although frugal folks can make do with less. Te local utility company can also estimate energy needs based on past usage. Realize that alternative energy doesn’t


need to be an all-or-nothing proposition. For instance, a solar system doesn’t have to power the whole house. A smaller and cheaper array with battery backup can be connected to essential services like the water heater, refrigerator and electric stove, with the grid handling heavier loads. Ad-


NaturalAwakeningsOKC.com


Solar: Plunging Costs Solar panels for electricity, usually made of silicon, consist of photovoltaic cells that con- vert sunlight into direct current (DC). Teir cost has come down dramatically in recent years. In January, the average solar panel cost $3.14 a watt, a bottom line of roughly $18,000 with a six-kilowatt system big enough for most homes. Te price fell 6.5 percent from January 2018, reports EnergySage.com, a solar vendor pricing source. A federal tax credit covers 30 percent of the cost, so the out-of-pocket cost for a system would be ap- proximately $13,000 if installed before year’s end, when the full residential tax credit is available. Partial tax credits will be available until they are phased out in 2022. Ron Blumenfeld, a retired doctor in


Fairfield, Connecticut, serves on his town’s sustainability task force and “went live” with his rooſtop installation six years ago. “It’s turned out to be one of the best invest- ments we’ve ever made—financially and environmentally,” he says. Te U.S. Department of Energy


(DOE) is working toward residential solar to generate power at just five cents per kilowatt-hour by 2030, which means it will be far cheaper than grid electricity. Consumers can either buy a system out- right or—as a popular alternative—lease the system with no upfront costs. Leasing companies like SolarCity (now part of Tesla) pioneered this approach, in which consumers agree to buy electricity from the system installed on their roof.


Herr Loeffler/Shutterstock.com


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