How To Live Off-Grid In a Tiny House

Off-grid living in a Tiny House

We’d like to think that saving the planet is on everyone's agenda, and by downsizing to a tiny home, you'll be doing just that! A smaller home will naturally use less energy, not only reducing your carbon footprint but also saving yourself a bob or two!

For many, a tiny home is just the beginning of the eco-living journey, and as we fall down the rabbit hole towards an understanding of true eco-living, we can uncover copious methods of reducing our carbon footprint even further.

Additionally, we hope to answer vital questions such as "is off-grid living for everyone?" and "how easy is it to set up an off-grid lifestyle?"

So here goes our entirely honest eco guide about the good, the bad, and the ugly to living fully off-grid with the goal to educate rather than to dictate a choice for you and your loved ones, because let's be honest, it's your home and your life, and you'll be the one stuck with the choices once made.

Composting Toilets - Yay or Nay?

Before we get started, let's first explain how a composting toilet works and why people are choosing them for environmental purposes.

A composting toilet literally does what it says on the tin. It composts your poop. It's a waterless toilet that reduces approximately 45,000 litres per year per household which is a tremendous saving. Furthermore, the composted matter can be used as fertilizer for your food and plants.

Now to cut to the big question that many want to know, and that's 'do they smell?' You'll be surprised (and relieved!) to learn that a generally well maintained composting toilet doesn't at all. With today's technology, they look and feel like regular toilets; however, there are additional steps that are required for maintaining a composting loo. These steps vary from toilet to toilet with the most common addition is to empty the toilet compartments yourself physically.

Some of you may now be turning your nose up at the very thought of having to do more than flush away your poop, and honestly, that's okay in our books. What we suggest is looking into your toilet options, learn more about their impact on the environment and decide on where you fit in this category.

Note* If you are already shuddering at the thought of composting loo, you'll be pleased to know that there are several environmentally friendly loo options, just remember to check out both pros and cons before you go ahead and purchase - we offer an 'eco' option and a 'standard' option, depending on your preference. For more information about your toilet options, head over to our latest blog 'Tiny House Toilet Options'.

100% Self Sufficient Energy - What's The Deal?

When it comes to energy, you'll want to consider how much energy you are using in your current home. This will give you an idea as to how much energy you will need annually to live comfortably, and if living off-grid is an option for you.

Something to note is that living tiny means tinier bills too as the reduction in space means less energy is required for heating. However, those who insist on tumble dryers and dishwashers may be forced to choose to be connected to the grid which in itself can be costly should you be far away from a connection, or perhaps you may have to live to learn without the luxuries that we were once used to.

To give you a little run down of living off-grid, our solar package can provide enough energy to run a fridge, lights and sockets easily with gas being used for the cooker and water heating. This is mostly due to the fact that we live in glorious England where the sun doesn’t like to put his hat on. For those looking to avoid gas, we recommend arranging wind energy on your land as full solar may not be sufficient unless you plan on purchasing more batteries to store up your energy during the dark winter days.

We recommend letting your tiny house provider know about your general electric use (whether you work from home all day etc), whether you are happy to use gas or if you require larger appliances such as washers/dryers etc.

Heating Options

Heating a tiny home is an effortless job. While it is vital that your home can withstand the UK's blustery winters, you needn't worry about it getting too cold. In fact, the bigger job is keeping the place cool in the summer months! You see, tiny homes are built to a high R-Value. Simply put, these homes are highly insulated, making them warmer than a traditional brick home. Choosing a standard plug-in heater would be sufficient, or if you don't want to use up electricity, you could opt for a wood burner that would heat the whole home in minutes.

Do I need gas?

Majority of tiny homers will opt for using propane gas canisters for cooking and water heating needs. Although this method does not save the environment, it is the best option for simplicity reasons as they are easily changeable and not overly expensive. We always say if the option is be fully connected to the grid or solar and some gas, we’d recommend the second option as it not only reduces your energy output but also saves you on electric bills!

How Solar Power Works

1. They absorb natural light converting it into DC (direct current) energy.

2. This energy is stored in a battery bank. Impinging sunlight can harm these batteries (which is usually the case when the sun plays 'peekaboo' all too often), so the solution is to place a charge controller between the panels and the battery pack to reduce the chance of damage. The energy stored can be used immediately, or it can be stored in the battery pack until it is needed.

3. The next job is to convert the DC energy to AC (alternating current) so that you can use this energy on your appliances as all UK appliances run on AC. To do this, you'll need a DC/AC Inverter which can be purchased easily online.

Side note* Inverters can be noisy due to their cooling fans so if you are sensitive to noise, you'll need to plan where this is positioned. Ideally, it would be best if you placed the invertor on the opposite end of where you work or sleep in your home. Fortunately for you, we've thought of this and placed the inverter away from the bedroom, on the opposite side of the home.

Be Prepared For Low Energy Days

During the winter months, the days are shorter, and the weather is ....pants. So we should mention that you may possibly run into some issues with getting enough energy. Regardless of whether it is sunny, cloudy or raining, natural light will still filter through, just much less than in the summer months. Storing energy in larger battery banks will be your best solution (a standard bank could offer you up to 24 hours per bank and higher quality banks up to 5 days depending on your usage), and also we recommend having plans in place for the darker months to ensure your energy is stable throughout the months.

To give some examples, the worst-case scenario would be to run out of electricity. Your only option in this situation would be to take your banks to a friend or family’s house to charge them up. We always recommend being prepared for the possibility that your electric could go off. This would mean preparing candles or a source of light.

Another solution would be to work on reducing your daily energy uses for the darker months. We don't wish to call anyone a fool, but if you plan on doing the washing on a rainy dark day, then we will bite our lip and pretend you never did so. To avoid getting caught in the dark, here are some coping methods for the winter months;

· Get extra wear out of your jeans or jumpers to reduce the washing load.

· Opt for energy-efficient bulbs (LED lighting is the best).

· Ensure your fridge/freezer is of a high energy rating (A or higher).

· Switch your electric kettle for a stovetop kettle.

· Switch off plugs that you are not using as they draw energy.

· On good days, use heavier energy goods such as hairdryers, washers, dryers etc.

· Avoid the oven on low energy days as energy comes from turning it on.

How do I get water into my house?

Okay, so this is where things get VERY tricky. First things first, you need to think about general water needs. We need clean drinking water every day, we need water to wash the dishes and our clothes, and we also need water for our personal hygiene.

To go over some very basic figures:

• Shower: 90L (10 minute shower with a normal shower head)

• Washing Machine: 39-53L

• Handwashing Dishes: 20L

• Other (brushing teeth, general water waste): 10L

• Drinking water: 2L

• Flushing Toilet: 7L (per flush)

If you have a shower daily, do the dishes every day, put the washer on twice a week, go to the loo a few times a day, you're looking at potentially using around 1400-1600L per person per week. That’s why, we’ve taken steps to actively reduce water usage, by using aerated heads & taps in all the water points, which can cut water use down by half!

So, how do you get this amount of water? Is it safe and easily accessible?

The simple answer from us is, connect yourself to the grid. Living off-grid is admirable and we believe that everyone should be taking steps to reduce their footprint. But, at the end of the day, we need clean water for our health and hygiene. Whilst rainwater collection is recommend on all tiny houses (for use in the garden etc) to live off it’s impractical for clean and safe water. We believe it can be done and if you’re a bit of a Bear Grylls, then sure, you can collect rain water, use special tablets to kill off any germs and your water will slowly trickle into your home allowing for a four minute shower as your conserve your water for other things. However, if that’s not for you, connecting to the grid for water is a good option as you’ll be saving water from the toilet and you can arrange shower/tap connectors that reduce the amount of water that you use.

Another option is to arrange a tank of water as you need it which can be fed into the home. This will be dropped off and filled up when needed. For this you’ll need clear access to your home from the road and from our side, acknowledgement that there will be a reduced amount of pressure when showering as water from the grid has its own pressure whereas from a tank it needs to be created.

Rainwater Collection

The only good thing about the great British weather is that it rains enough for fantastic rainwater collecting! Even a basic system (arranging a drainpipe to collect water placing into a barrel) will capture enough to water the garden most days. Some fancier systems contain special filters which further clean the water for the use in showers etc, although, they are potentially expensive so it really does depend on your budget. One of the main pitfalls you may have guessed is the issue of water is when it doesn't rain. Most tanks can hold anywhere between 2000-6000 litres which is enough for possibly 5-7 days for a couple/family, and if water runs dangerously low, this may cause health issues are you no longer have access to clean water.

This is the reason that we do suggest connecting to water on the grid and also to collect rain water for your plants, paddling pools etc. In all honesty, we wouldn’t want someone taking advice to live completely off a tank only to find that in the summer it is empty for a month.

Have You Considered Growing Your Own Food?

Growing your own food can be highly rewarding, not only from a nutritional stance but you will also receive plenty of gratification from sowing seeds, and nurturing them into edible plants for you and your family. Not to mention the amount of energy you'll save on trips to the supermarket!

But, before you put on your marigolds, you may want to learn a little about gardening and why simply sowing and watering seeds won't always give you a lush garden of food. As with many, the mistake often made here is the idea that you can sew seeds, water them and they'll grow into perfectly shaped fruits and vegetables.

You see, seeds and plants, in general, require a lot of maintenance from high-quality soil, the right season, sufficient sunlight to allow them to grow and general maintenance to ensure the bugs are kept at bay!

To give a brief understanding of what may be expected of you here's an essential list of jobs, you'll need to do to ensure a fruitful garden.

Setting up a garden forest

1. Your soil will require some work, especially if you're working with poor soil. This could potentially take weeks to a month, depending on the quality or lack of.

2. You'll need a basic understanding of which vegetables grow well together. This will reduce the chances of them fighting for nutrients - Pinterest is a brilliant resource for this.

3. You'll need to plan when you will sew which fruits and vegetables to give them the best fighting chance.

4. You'll need to be aware of how much sunlight they need and what temperatures they can handle, and to prepare materials to keep them insulated in the colder temperatures should they require it.

To round off this topic, growing your own food is a highly rewarding experience. It can become a family project keeping the kids busy in a healthy learning environment while providing you with a zero-mile food diet which is fantastic for your carbon footprint. Another bonus is your food will contain less toxic chemicals providing highly nutritious food for your family.

So yes, it is hard work, and yes, sometimes your results may be disastrous should you forget a step, but the good really does outweigh the bad when it comes to growing your food.

Top Tip - If you're unsure about growing your own food, we suggest attempting with seedlings from a gardening shop. All you need to do is plant them into some healthy soil and follow the instructions that come with each plant. Another great tip is to look into growing potatoes from old potatoes. It's super easy and highly rewarding, and all you need is a pot and some soil!

That brings us to the end of our list of how to live off-grid. We hope that you have learned the basics as to what is needed for an entirely eco-friendly home. We hope we've laid out enough tips and suggestions on getting set up, and equally, a good idea of what it could be like to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch as we love hearing from you!