9 Must-Have Off-Grid Appliances for Your Cabin

Power Sources for Off-Grid Appliances

If you’re thinking about building an off-grid second home or cabin as a rustic getaway, you probably don’t expect it to have all the comforts of your primary home. But, living off-grid doesn’t mean you have to give up every modern convenience. A number of different power sources permit you to run basic household appliances without having to connect to a municipal power grid.

Practical power sources for off-grid appliances include:

• Gas-powered generator. This power source may be the simplest option, but gas-powered generators are noisy and they smell bad. They also emit carbon monoxide, so make sure there’s no way the fumes can enter your home. And, make sure you don’t run out of gas!
• Propane tank. Propane is a good option when renewable sources (like sun or wind) let you down or aren’t viable in your location. If you’ll be relying on propane, you can have a stationary tank installed and filled by a propane delivery service. If you don’t have a stationary tank, you’ll have to haul heavy portable tanks back and forth.
• Solar panels. If your cabin is in a spot that gets a lot of sun, solar power might be your solution. The size of the photovoltaic system you need depends on how many kilowatts you require. The initial cost is high but afterward, solar is a green, virtually cost-free solution.
• Hydroelectric power. If you’ve got some fast-moving water with sufficient “head” (vertical drop) on your property, you may be able to harness some of that energy to create hydroelectric power — not unlike old-fashioned watermills. Like solar, a hydroelectric system can be a big investment, but it allows you to store energy for when you need it.
• Wind turbine. If your rural getaway is in a windy location, a wind turbine system is another green option — although also costly at the outset. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s website, a turbine needs an average annual wind speed of 9 mph for a turbine to be a practical option for your home. Wind also needs to be “clean” for a turbine to work, with the air moving in a fairly consistent direction. “Dirty wind” moves erratically in multiple directions and doesn’t work well for harnessing electricity.

Solar, hydroelectric and wind-generated power is stored in batteries to which off-grid appliances can be connected.

Article source here: 9 Must-Have Off-Grid Appliances for Your Cabin