Living off the Grid: The Tiny House Revolution

The tiny house movement, also known as the small house movement, is a popular tag for the social and house-building movement that vouches for simple living in small, off-the-grid homes. The tiny house movement is an exponentially growing movement of tiny house enthusiasts concerned about the environment and sustainability. They are not so worried about the square footage of a home to feel like they are living some successful life; in fact, they think small is beautiful.

You might think that tiny houseliving isalmost impossible, but options for tiny house users are increasing. In fact, tiny house villages are now being tried as a solution to combat homelessness. Within this movement is a group of users taking tiny houses’ simplicity, freedom, and sustainability to a whole new level by constructing their houses completely off the power grid. These people are known to use renewable forms of energy such as solar energy, wind power, and micro-hydropower to run their homes.

Living in a tiny house, off the grid, is an excellent way of reducing your ecological footprint and saving a lot of money while you are at it. One advantage of living in a tiny house is that you save energy, money, and time. Such resources would otherwise be used to pay rent, mortgage, or run a house. There is no consensus on the cost of setting up a tiny house, as it depends on several variables. These include the amount of money you spend on the off-grid energy source you opt for, the option you choose for heating the house, whether you construct the house yourself or professionally, and whether you decide on simplicity or luxury.
Building a tiny house can run anywhere from $8,000 to upwards of $50,000, depending on the materials used and the size.  For those who have a tighter budget, recycled materials may be used and the labor may be done by themselves.  A pre-made solar unit may cost approximately $5,000. However, if you choose to build your solar unit yourself, a pair of solar panels, batteries, a charge controller, and an inverter should cost around $3500 to $4,000, depending on their quality, efficiency, and place of purchase.

SOLAR PANELS FOR TINY HOUSES

Solar panels are a popular energy source in a tiny house. The solar energy unit is an investment with no recurring costs. In fact, solar panels have a lifespan of over 25 years (many exceeding 40 years). Depending on your use, however, the batteries may need to be replaced every 5 to 10 years.

COSTS OF SOLAR FOR TINY HOUSES

Living in an off-the-grid tiny house ensures you pay no monthly electricity and water bills. Some minor costs may come up here and there, however, paying no energy bills goes a long way in offsetting these costs. If you work at home, you may incur some phone and internet bills. You may also have to purchase alternative fuels like propane or butane.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

If you opt to be a minimalist tiny house owner, you can live without electricity, phones, internet, or propane. This means that you will use wood stoves and lanterns. Wind is a good alternative to solar energy, but buying wind turbines can be expensive. In addition to this, they only work when sufficient wind blows. If you choose a location near a river or a stream, you can look into using micro-hydro power to provide your energy requirements.

It is important to find a water source before purchasing the land for building your tiny house. Most localities require the use of an approved source of water. These include a cistern tank with a delivery system or a professionally drilled well. Drilling a well is expensive, so a cistern would make great economic sense. If you use rainwater to fulfill some of your water requirements, it has to be filtered and treated to guarantee its safety. A standard water filter should set you back by about $300.

Tiny house living is already changing the world and is expected to continue to increase. In 2006, about 100,000 American houses were tiny, off-the-grid houses. Off-the-grid tiny house living is not about competing with other people, as it is about opting to live a lifestyle that you believe is comfortable and suits you. With the economic crisis and Mother Nature taking a toll due to the energy pull from mass consumerism and the abuse of natural resources, the tiny house movement ought to be welcomed with open arms. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people against the movement because when people downsize, the economy can feel the effects over the long haul.

If you’re interested in the tiny house movement and off-grid solar energy living, continue to research the tiny house movement.  Some cities have workshops that help men and women learn how to build their own tiny houses.  Simplicity should not be disregarded, as we have all come from simple living that stems back centuries.  For those embracing the tiny house movement, there is much to celebrate.

If you need assistance in choosing, and setting up your off-grid energy system, give us a call or email us today.