A poster asked on an off-grid forum if it was possible to go off grid while living in an apartment. This question reveals how many people have a confused notion of what living off grid involves. The poster expressed a desire to save the planet. Clearly this poster is confusing the practice of living green and living off grid.
An apartment building is a co-operative grid kind of living where heating and sometimes electricity use is included in the rent. Municipal water and sewage is provided. Clearly this does not offer many options for being of grid. However it does not prevent someone from living green and in this way help conserve resources. Even though the electricity may be included in the rent you can still strive to minimize electrical use if that is what you wish to do. Unless the heating is electric there is very little a tenant can do to affect heating during cold weather.
The landlord not to mention the fire Marshall
The tenant can reduce water and sewage use. In cottage country you see a lot of signs in the bathroom saying “if its yellow let it mellow if its brown flush it down” this is a subtle hint to reduce flushing to ease the demand on a limited septic system. You can reduce shower time and thus conserve water and you can use soaps that break down more readily thus reducing the phosphate load being dumped down the sewers.
The old saying reduce, reuse, and recycle, can be put into practice even in an apartment.
It is practical to live green even if you do not live off grid.
Arild - It's always nice to read about someone who wants to "make a difference".
ReplyDeleteAlong with your advice, I would like to add; Do not underestimate the power of your purchases. Buy local fruits, vegetables, and meat. This alone will greatly reduce consumption of fossil fuels by decreasing shipping.
This will also pressure industrial farming and the mega corp. who owns them.
Even making the conscious decision not to eat at fast food establishments would make a huge difference.
Thanks. I've been trying to figure out how to be off-grid in my apartment-style condo. And I think I was one of those confused people you mention. Although I have greatly reduced my power and water consumption, energy is the only thing left under my control. But I do see the difference and it's a great correction in my goals and this will help me out greatly in seeing how else I can reduce my foot print. :D
ReplyDeleteI have an apt. Every day I lug out my 2 100 WATT solar panels. They are hooked up to my 620 AMP Hour 12 volt battery bank. 4 155 AH deep cycle 12 volt batteries. This allows me to run everything 4 computers, projector, internet, refergrator, and LED strip lighting. I am able to keep batteries topped off, the only things I run on grid are electric stove and 30 amp electric air conditioner. Living in NM gives good sun. Whole system about $1500 dollars, reduced electric bill from $100 a month to $20 a month. The key to solar is a battery bank big enough for power consumption. DO not feed any engery back into the grid, That is usually a big no no. But when the power is out I still have all power to my APT, just have extension cords running back and forth on baseboards, Might even consider 2 more panels laying outside against the wall of my APT to capture more sun for faster recharging of battery bank. Always have to have more comming in then going out, can last 3 days with out sun too, Want to increase battery bank to addtion 2 more batteries bringing me to 930 AH battery bank. But they are expensive, yes system is slowly paying for it self, good thing is I am not dependent on the goverment for power, which here we get regular brown outs and when it gets to cold the power goes out too. When I first put it out got questions from landlord but since nothing being bolted to the building and panels are not in the way everything is ok. BTW I live on the second floor of the building, run cables out of the window to panel. Very easy to live sort of off grid in an apt, another pro is system is totally movable, I can load in my truck with a couple of batteries go out in the desert and fly my hex-o-copter and recharge my spare battery to keep flying all day long with one panel and one battery and my inverter.
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