|
|
An off-grid system is a home or bach that is totally independent
of the mains electricity grid. Sustainable energy is generated by renewable power sources such as solar power, wind generation or micro hydro generation.
|
An off-grid system is totally independent from the traditional power suppliers that charge you
for their electricity. You generate, store, and use your own renewable energy with an ecogise
system that was designed specifically to meet your needs.
Choosing off-grid renewable energy
In remote areas it can cost upwards of
$20,000 to connect your home to the main grid and so it becomes economically viable to look at
going off the grid. In some areas, after 2013, electricity companies may not be legally obliged to
supply power and/or maintain power supply lines. Add to this the ever increasing cost of
electricity supply, and you can see why it’s becoming more and more viable to power your home
using sustainable off-grid energy systems.
Alternative power generation
There are many different sustainable power options available: solar power, wind generation, mini-hydro, diesel/bio fuel and so
on.
You may end up combining two or more of these renewable energy sources to meet your daily energy
requirements, depending on the resources you have available on your property - ie. the amount of
wind and sunlight you get and whether there is a stream or river that can be utilised for a micro-hydro unit.
Energy spenders
Once you know what renewable energy sources are available to you, you need to determine how
much power you need to produce to run your home. You can also make your home more energy efficient
and reduce the level of power consumption needed for the day-to-day running of your home.
The key areas that need to be looked at are your water heating, cooking and space heating as
these tend to require the largest amounts of energy to produce.
Space / room heating
Electrical heating tends to require too much energy to run from renewable power sources, unless
you have the ability to generate hydro power from a good water source. You can use either efficient
LPG or log burners as a source of heating. Many modern fireplaces have wetback options to heat
water when the fire is in use, although this method is limited in its supply and would only be
useful as a supplementary means of water heating in colder weather when you are likely to have the
fire going.
It is also possible to have solar-assisted diesel under-floor heating but as this is fairly costly
to install and run, we would not generally recommend this option.
Water heating and solar hot water
Most often we would recommend using solar water heating to heat your water as this is a
renewable energy device and this will dramatically reduce your electric load.
LPG on demand water heating is another option which is more viable in batches etc if you are not
living there permanently.
Other options
Anything that requires heating requires a high amount of energy to run. Therefore, we would
recommend using LPG for all your cooking. It’s also good to be aware of high consumption items like
toasters, irons and dryers and know when and how to use them efficiently.
Calculate your power usage
ecogise can design an off-grid system for you home, tailored to suit your site and energy needs.
If you would like to fill in the documents below and forward them to us, we can put together an
initial system design and costings for you.
Off Grid
Worksheet
Off Grid Wattage Calculator
1kW Off-grid
Bach System.pdf 2kW Off-grid Bach
System.pdf
2.5kW Off-grid
System.pdf 4kW Off-grid
System.pdf
5.5kW Off-grid
System.pdf 6.5kW Off-grid
System.pdf
8kW Off-grid
System.pdf 9kW Off-grid
System.pdf
Or for more information on off-grid systems, contact
us.
|