The idea of running your home or business from solar energy is appealing to most people - who does not want to power their lives using the free energy of the sun? Yet, relatively few actually do it. It may seem complicated, expensive and involve lifestyle changes that are not practical and unappealing to most people living in the modern would. These assumptions are mostly false.
I decided to learn all I could about the possibilities of powering my home and business from solar energy for all my energy needs. Through my study, I learned that our dream of running our home and business off-the-grid was indeed viable at a modest cost, DIY friendly, and we could actually live like modern human beings (read: we need air-conditioning, computers, television, coffee-makers, etc). Karin was in for the ride when I told her that going off-the-grid would not require lifestyle sacrifices that would quickly render us unrecognizable - as many of our friends and relatives feared (I guess too much reality TV).
We have a remarkable solar energy system that I specified and installed myself. It provides more power to run our home and candle studio than we can use. The 'off-the-grid' reality shows reflect lifestyle choices that have nothing to do with Solar Energy. You can be a doomsday prepper or Fortune 500 CEO (and look the part) when running your life from the sun's energy - your choice.
Visitors to our home and candle studio have no indication that we are off-the-grid as our home and studio look and act like a typical on-grid home and workshop. The most common question we get from visitors is: 'How did you do this?' In other words, they want to know how we live like a normal couple with all the modern conveniences while using solar energy for all our electricity requirements 24x7x365. They see the energy independence and self-reliance, priorities focused on life's wonderful things, sustainable green living and so much more. Living and working sustainably is a choice we made. It requires alternative thinking to conventional norms of mass produced products and services. Yes, it takes a little work and a lot of DIY but it is so worth it.
We have a remarkable solar energy system that I specified and installed myself. It provides more power to run our home and candle studio than we can use. The 'off-the-grid' reality shows reflect lifestyle choices that have nothing to do with Solar Energy. You can be a doomsday prepper or Fortune 500 CEO (and look the part) when running your life from the sun's energy - your choice.
Visitors to our home and candle studio have no indication that we are off-the-grid as our home and studio look and act like a typical on-grid home and workshop. The most common question we get from visitors is: 'How did you do this?' In other words, they want to know how we live like a normal couple with all the modern conveniences while using solar energy for all our electricity requirements 24x7x365. They see the energy independence and self-reliance, priorities focused on life's wonderful things, sustainable green living and so much more. Living and working sustainably is a choice we made. It requires alternative thinking to conventional norms of mass produced products and services. Yes, it takes a little work and a lot of DIY but it is so worth it.
If you are interested in powering your life from the sun, I hope my solar journey inspires you. If I can answer any questions you may have, send me an email. I will be glad to help.
Best wishes - Joe
