Off the grid – tips from frugal living that you can apply to your plugged life

Whether it’s a passing fad, a genuine cultural change, or simply a matter of cutting the costs of living by necessity, the off–the-grid living movement has received a groundswell of interest and support in recent years. There is no doubt that the dream of leaving it all behind and escaping the rat-race of professional life has its own unique attractions. Along with affordability, the off-grid approach provides a greater degree of independence and sustainability for the household and the wider environment. But the reality, and the transition to off-grid living, may be too great a lifestyle transformation for many people to face up to.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of resources that can help to introduce the aspiring off-gridder to some of the cost benefits of this way of life, whilst remaining – for now – with all of the usual home comforts. An evolution, as opposed to a revolution, which provides families and households with the opportunity to make a few basic changes and reap the rewards.

When people talk about off-the-grid living, the first picture that many will imagine is of an isolated temporary home in the middle of the countryside. But the truth is that off-the-grid (OTG) can refer to any change in lifestyle which frees a citizen from the ongoing contracts, payments and agreements that often account for the greater portion of our pay cheques. By implementing changes, we can reclaim some of that control over our own lives. And one of the first places that many people look towards is how we source our energy.

The cost of fuel is already a major issue and a topic of debate within the mainstream media. Whilst the rising prices and the collusion between the main providers is often focused on, the alternatives and power-saving strategies that are readily available to everyone are often overlooked. But by taking inspiration from existing off-gridders, anybody can find both savings and alternative sources of energy, no matter their domestic situation.

First of all, it is a smart idea trying to save energy whenever possible making sure you will ultimately cut your electricity prices. Whether this is never overfilling the kettle, or ensuring that televisions are switched off rather than left on standby, it all adds up. For instance, a standard home computer, if used for a few hours every day will cost upwards of £40 a year to run. Many keyboards already have a hibernation button, but if your does not, you can buy something called an eco-button, which does the same thing. Use it when you get up to have a meal or answer the phone to send your device into hibernation mode, and running costs diminish to almost nothing.
Alternative sources of energy are a prime interest of off-gridders, and they can be adopted in the home, too. A small, non-intrusive wind turbine attached to the family home can generate year-round electricity, whilst portable solar photovoltaic systems are already a popular and free method of charging phones and running smaller household devices.

A house with a garden can be equally useful when sourcing your own food and water. A simple water butt can be constructed from any large container, or bought at low cost from a garden centre. Although using collected rainwater for drinking purposes is never the best idea without a full filtration system, it can be used for any other job, such as washing, watering vegetables, or cleaning the home and car. As anybody with a water meter will no doubt tell you, these are already the main demands placed on your home’s water supply, so your savings will not go unnoticed. Combined with a solar heating system, you can provide hot running water to your home for absolutely no money at all.

Whilst there are few who will take up the challenge for a completely off-the-grid existence, the number who do is growing year-on-year. The movement is producing new and innovative ways for every citizen to escape or avoid the rapidly escalating costs of living, whilst providing sustainability answers that will benefit not only the environment, but our own standards of living. By taking some lessons from the off-grid experts, you can start saving both money and resources today.

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