| A few years back, we grew tired of the city and | | | | as they did plow, we'd promptly get 12 more |
| noise and hassle that came with it. We decided | | | | inches of snow, sealing off our isolated little home |
| that the life we wanted was in the mountains. We | | | | from the propane man. |
| fell in love with an area that had phenomenal | | | | Altitude Adjustment |
| views, a lake nearby, and was close to a skiing | | | | So this is the part of our life where we got used |
| community. One problem: no power. Not only was | | | | to setting the thermostat to 50 degrees, warming |
| there no power, but there was no water, sewer, | | | | up by shovelling endless amounts of snow, and |
| or high speed internet. In fact the only real utility | | | | sleeping under enough blankets to cover a jumbo |
| that existed was phone lines, and those are | | | | jet. Good times. And actually, they were good |
| soooo 1996, right? | | | | times. My wife and I grew closer, learned a ton |
| Off Grid or Off Our Rocker? | | | | about our new home, and became conscious of |
| But there were other houses in the neighborhood | | | | every watt that flowed out of the system. |
| running on solar and small wind generators and we | | | | We learned that EVERYTHING needed to be on |
| naively thought 'How hard could it be?'. With the | | | | power strips. Even the garage door openers. |
| help of friends, family, and a builder that had built | | | | When the sun did shine, we learned to milk every |
| in the neighborhood, we felt we had the perfect | | | | drop of heat from it to help heat the home by |
| house for us. We are not rich folks by any | | | | opening shades. And when there was no sun we |
| means, but we felt we had a comfortable home | | | | shut the blinds tight and hunkered down. We |
| that we could grow into a little. We had 16 | | | | opened and closed the shades so often the |
| batteries, 1300 watts of solar, 300 sunny | | | | neighbors probably thought we were sending |
| Colorado days per year, and a propane generator | | | | Morse code. If we had known Morse code we |
| backup. This would be easy right? Just wash the | | | | would have said 'Bring soup!'. |
| clothes on sunny days! Piece of cake. | | | | We learned that since we had a well pump |
| Oh, You Mean We Need Sunshine? | | | | drawing power out of our system, that wasting |
| We chose to move into our home in December a | | | | water meant wasting power (yellow is definitely |
| few years back. And that just happened to be | | | | mellow at the Bergethon home). We eventually |
| the winter that our little hamlet would break the | | | | got a wood burning stove and took advantage of |
| record for snowfall in one year. We figured out in | | | | the acres of already-dead trees not far from our |
| a hurry that our panels didn't run on snowflakes. | | | | home. We learned that there is a major |
| Go figure. We had 3 solid months of snow, 6-12 | | | | difference in power used in different light bulbs. |
| inches EVERY DAY. Even the toothless old timers | | | | And we learned that we really didn't need to |
| with the long beards had never seen anything like | | | | watch as much TV as we thought. |
| it. | | | | Finally: Bliss |
| And worse, our builder had suggested a forced air | | | | So, with some painful lessons, a little cash, and a |
| electric furnace for our modular home to save | | | | lot of patience, we live very comfortably now. |
| money. Big mistake. Since there was no sunshine, | | | | We consume approximately 150 kw-hrs per |
| and since we decided we like the pigment of our | | | | month of electricity, compared to the typical |
| skin to be decidedly un-blue, we were running off | | | | American household that uses more than 1,000. |
| the generator. When it wasn't breaking down, | | | | We use about 500 gallons of water per month, |
| freezing up, or getting overcome with snow, it | | | | whereas some families use that in a day. I don't |
| was burning through $1800 worth of propane per | | | | say these things to brag or toot my own horn, I |
| month. Did I mention we're not wealthy people? | | | | say these things as a reformed waster that is |
| The worst part was that when we ran out of | | | | trying to help others change their habits and |
| propane, which was about every 15 days, the | | | | become conscious of their energy consumption. |
| propane truck couldn't get to us. Being isolated | | | | And the best part is I get to help people do just |
| and at the end of the road, which seemed so | | | | that every day! And hopefully this industry, this |
| attractive just a few months ago, the snowplows | | | | blog, and the people that read it can spread the |
| couldn't get to us until late afternoon. And as soon | | | | word. |