Many of us have dreamt of being self-sufficient but have been daunted by the work involved. So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of ‘going off the grid’. In going off the grid, not only can you reduce your impact on the environment by off-grid living, you can also live a more affordable, calmer lifestyle.
What does going off the grid in NSW mean?
In simple terms, it means you aren’t connected to public or private utilities like mains electricity, sewerage, town water, gas…in fact, anything where you rely on an outside source.
You can also choose to go partly off the grid while retaining what you might consider essentials like your phone and internet.
How can you start off-grid living in and around Gloucester?
First, you’ll need to own your property, whether that’s a home in town or some land in the local Gloucester region. You will need to consider any local council planning requirements. And to help you on your off-grid journey, you’ll want to take advantage of any government incentives. So I recommend you:
- Check local zoning and housing development regulations
- Apply for any government incentives like solar rebates.
What do you need for off-grid living?
Depending on whether you go the whole hog or just partly off grid, you’ll need:
- Water: Water tanks aren’t prohibitively expensive and even low rainfall will help to fill your tank. If you have no town water available, you’ll need to consider your family size and water usage ‒ around a minimum of 25,000 litres is a starting point. To have water for emergencies like bush fires, you may be required to maintain an additional amount of water, and a Storz coupling fitted, so check with your local RFS. Remember: To work out how much water you could harvest, 1 millimetre of rainwater falling on 1 square metre of roof yields 1 litre of water.
- Power: The obvious solution is solar with a battery. These systems, known as solar PV systems, are expensive but if you’re serious about living off the grid, you’ll need a battery. You could also consider a generator as an additional back-up power source. If your home is in a particularly windy area, you could investigate domestic wind turbines. Note that most wind turbines are NOT suited to urban areas.
- Sewerage: You have several options including composting toilets (that don’t smell, by the way) or an incineration toilet. Alternatively, you could install an eco-septic system that converts waste water into usable grey water. However, check council regulations.
- Food: Over the past few years, many of us got the ‘grow your own food’ bug. Add some chickens or livestock (depending on your zoning regulations) and you could lessen your reliance on the weekly supermarket shop.
Join an off-grid living community
If you’re unsure about how or where to start, I recommend you join an off-grid living community.
You’ll find loads of information out there explaining off-grid living, plus you can connect with communities reaching for greater off-grid living options. Most communities are great backstops when you need help. I found a few that I’ve listed below:
Lillifield community, Wadeville NSW
Living off grid is achievable, even in a town
Michael Mobbs, back in the early 2000s, proved to Australia and the world that he could live off the grid in a busy city. Michael’s home is in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Chippendale. Check out his video of the sustainable house.
You’ll need to plan well up front but once you have your plan, you can get ready to go off the grid. We are in the midst of going completely off the grid on our farm. Going off grid takes a lot of planning but it’s exciting and makes you think a lot more about how you use your resources.
Need help selling your Gloucester ‒ Barrington Coast property?
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