Living Off-grid In the UK: Reducing Waste With Homebiogas
Food Waste & Living ‘off-grid’
We recently wrote an extensive blog post regarding living off-grid. We covered the usual topics such as renewable energy using solar panels, the use of rainwater collection for various water uses, your internet connection should you choose to live in the sticks, and also a brief overview of your options for gas.
For many, the basic set up of solar panels and a rainwater catcher is enough for doing your bit for the environment. In other cases, those trying to reach 100% off-grid living begin to look further into other wastage issues such as food waste, black water and the use of propane gas which is frequently used as the "go-to" gas for tiny homes. What we would like to discuss today is a company that came up with a solution to reducing your waste by turning it into biogas which in return reduces your need for propane.
Note* While this isn’t suitable for not so sunny UK, we still feel it’s a must read about another eco solution and the hope that one day, a very good proportion of us will be able to live off-grid!
Introducing Homebiogas
It couldn't get any simpler than this. This company have really outdone themselves when it comes to not only reducing our waste but to reuse this waste to create renewable energy. It's relatively smart considering its job. It's simple to use, easy to get started and saves the planet! Winner!
What is Homebiogas?
It's a simple gas system that generates up to 2 hours of cooking gas per day. So, how does it work?
Once you have started the digestion process (which is explained below) all that's required from you is for you to add your food waste, animal waste and human waste into the system which breaks down into biogas for daily use. To reach the daily limit of two hours of cooking gas, you'll need to add 6L food waste including grains, dairy, meat, cooking oil, peels, fruits and vegetables and other wet food waste. You can also feed fresh or semi-fresh animal manure including pet waste, and of course, human waste which can be its own issue when choosing to live off-grid.
Homebiogas suggest two food waste products to avoid, which are citrus fruits which change the PH levels of the compost and large pips like the ones you find in avocados as they don't digest very well.
The Digestion Process
Once the waste has been added, the food breaks down (digesting) into a liquid which releases a gas that we can use for cooking. It is a similar process to composting apart from one significant step that should be missed, which is the use of sawdust, paper etc, as these items will reduce the biogas.
How To Get Started?
Homebiogas initially requires a bit of work to get started, but the rewards completely compensate for the time spent in the beginning.
To begin, you'll need to add 100L of animal manure to the system. Your local farm will more than likely be willing to give you this for free as they have too much of it. Alternatively, you can buy a 'starter' from their website, which begins the digestion process.
The Pros & Cons of Biogas
Most of the benefits outshine the cons in this situation, never the less, it's always good to know what you'll be up against should you want to opt for biogas as a solution to your waste.
The Pros
you'll have ‘free’ gas
less waste to deal with
free fertiliser for your food (if growing at home)
you'll save money as it pays for itself in approx 18 months
The Cons
the initial upfront cost
having to eat healthy (as you'll need to use your natural food waste)
finding a location outside your home for it as it's a little bulky and requires a spot away from the shade.
in the UK, it wouldn’t work during the winter months, because it needs a warmer climate to activate the bacteria, to digest food and other waste. However, you could build an insulated shed to create the optimum temperature.
