Jun 14th, 2007
Investing Your Way Off The Grid
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When we were renovating our new old farmhouse, we were sorely tempted to go all out. Put in that geothermal heat pump. Install a solar water heater. Hook up that wind turbine and sell energy back to the utilities rather than the other way around. Light up the house with sun tunnels. In other words, do what we could to get off the grid as much as possible.
And then reality set in. Namely, finances. While we’d have loved to do all of the above, after updating the home to modern standards, not a whole lot was left in the ol’ bank to afford our off grid dreaming. So, what did we actually do?
- Yes, we installed a very efficient heat pump. But no, it was not a geothermal one, as we were quoted approximately $7,500 more than we could afford.
- Yes, we replaced our hot water heater with one substantially more efficient than what was already in place. But no, it wasn’t a solar unit.
- No, we didn’t put up a wind turbine, even though our location makes it a feasible energy source. Unfortunately, the installation cost versus our local energy costs shows that this project just didn’t make much economic sense right now.
- And the sun tunnels? Well, lets just say they weren’t the highest priorities on the list to start with, and you saw how the list has went so far…
So as you can see, we fell a little short of the dream. The intent was there. Even the feasibility of our plans was there. The money, alas, was not. But, that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning the idea. It just means I’ve got to be a little more involved to finance it.
Another of my obsessions is money, investing, debt reduction, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I thought, if we’re investing so we don’t starve in retirement, why shouldn’t we do a bit of investing to be able to afford to go off grid. Equally laudable goal I believe, and a little complimentary to boot — after all, if our energy footprint isn’t so expensive, retirement suddenly becomes cheaper as well. So that’s what we’re going to do.
But what to invest in, that’s the big question. I’m thinking that picking up shares of, say, Exxon just wouldn’t feel quite right. So even though I have an idea or ten, I’m going to do a little research and see if I can come up with a few more appropriate avenues. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear ‘em!
Retro-fitting our current home with any of these is cost-prohibitive too. Here in Australia, the government is offering ‘rebates’ for solar power installation, but sadly they are a drop in the bucket against the cost.
We keep planning the next house to have all these environmentally friendly energy sources, while doing everything we can to reduce our environmental impact while we are here.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Cheers, Lavender of the birds & the beads
We moved into our house in November last year and it was like being on an Arctic expedition. Not an experience we’d like to repeat! It’s an old drafty house which sorely lacks insulation. We looked into geothermal but found that it’s way too expensive plus the rooms in the house are too big for it to work properly.
Instead we’re just putting insulation everywhere that’s possible and we might also get secondary glazing.
I hope this winter will be better than the last.
April
SeanO - Have you thought about purchasing ‘municipal bonds’? Rather than going into a long and drawn out explanation of bonds, long term vs. short term, capital gains and losses, please allow me to direct you to a site that will explain the ins and outs. This site, of which I have no affiliation, does a good job of explaining the pros and cons. Perhaps it would fit nicely into your portfolio. Love the photo - are you perhaps a resident of California? Best wishes on renovating the farm house and getting off the grid. Here’s the url -
http://www.investinginbonds.com/learnmore.asp?catid=8&subcatid=60
Muni bonds would be a nice, relatively safe investment. But not a lot of fun…
I’m thinking more along the lines of investments that index several clean energy companies. Something along the lines of one or two of the Winderhill indexes; maybe a few of the Powershare ETFs that follow them (sorry, money geeking a bit!). It only seems right to invest in those companies that will make it possible to live off grid. Plus, I believe there’s a ton of potential in the field. And a ton of risk, of course. But a well-lived life is full of that!
I’ve been meaning to post my follow-up, but just haven’t been able to find the time to sit down and flesh out what I’ve done. Thanks for the kick in the pants to get me to sit down and revisit the question!
Oh, and no, not even close to California. Think MONW Nebraska…
Try learning about penny stocks. They’re dangerous and short-plays, but if you do your research and homework and end up picking the right stock, you’re going to strike a gold mine.
There’s rub. Its still so EXPENSIVE to go green for an older home. So far we’ve swapped out all of our light bulbs for the energy efficient flourescent ones, added solar screens to the windows (that helped a lot against the heat), replaced aging weather striping, replaced both toilets with more efficient ones and faithfully change out our air conditioning filters every month. Despite a rate increase of 7%, our power bill was less than it was the year before for the same month. Next year we’re going to replace the A/C unit with a seer 13 model (plus a rebate from the power company). I’d love to have solar panels installed (after all, Las Vegas does get a ton of sun) but the cost is around 20k. I’m not sure why builders don’t offer a solar energy package here yet.
I have the same passion as you for living off the grid on day. Additionally, I have the same obstacle: Not enough money.
Here is a sight that list several companies that have a corporate Sustainablity stance:
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/stocks/
Great read, and sorry to hear that reality set in..somewhat. I someday want to get all the bells and whistles of off the grid utilities like you stated. You should invest in my site
. Idk what to invest in really…I say invest in what your passionate about and what you know about. Maybe you can get one of those things each year on your wish list till you get em all, rather than trying to get em all at once. I’ve also been tempted to try to build my own solar panels but might look ridiculous and not work well
mmm i should try install all that myself
Seems like the way to go. Im looking to build a completely renewable energy house in the near future
If you’re willing to put some extra effort in, you can always get grants or free equipment if you teach classes out of your house. Send proposals to solar equipment manufacturers, offering to promote their product if they provide a free one to use on your house. Then you teach a class, get the word out about getting off the grid, and get free equipment to boot!
When I was in Belize, I helped out quite a few people who used this technique to wire up their house at minimum cost.
Interesting, well i think there’s hope. I read about a Chinese company that is going to make solar power cheaper, lighter, and more efficient. of course now I can’t find the article, but I did find this interesting read: http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/07/solar-panels-po.html
Maybe this is a good idea for your next post?
Got a bit of passion for this i see… That’s great! I say you invest in domains and other real-estate, you’ll deffinately make some nice figures if you go about that correctly :] just do alot of reading first! Good luck mate.
This is a great thing to do and it should be a model for others. It’s really nice to see you go for all alternate resources and saving natural resources. This will yield you greater profits in the long run.
Atleast some of us are aware of saving resources. People tend to waste so much. especially those who have money to spend, the more money, larger the eco footprint.
People those who have more money spend a lot and doesn’t realize how much they are spending,but people who doesn’t have enough money try to spend each penny thinking hundred times.So,they know the real value of money and investing in a proper way is very important.Always try to spend money where it is required rather than spending in useless place.
Hello!
I live in midtown Toronto and find some of your tips good, but some unfeasible. I’ll come back to read more.
I found your site at the Bumpzee “nofollow” community, but it seems to me that your comments are actually Nofollow (it wasn’t removed). Am I looking at the wrong site?
Just out of interest, how do you know that it is a nofollow comment?
As you say Sean, you need to do research before you start invest. This is important! What you need now is education,experience and excessive cash before you can start an investment. What I called for this is 3′E. Hope you can earn from your investment but not simply put your money into anything without a good research. cheer dude!
it’s a long road…i heard tents are pretty energy efficient…but maybe not the best for your children.
yeah its definitely a nofollow site, you can tell by looking at the html or using a firefox extension such as seoquake.
This is what is frustrating-people WANT to leave cleaner, go greener, and get back to basics, but can’t afford it! What was once the norm, has become the chic eco-friendly fancies of the rich. Same with hybrid cars….grrr!
Most of the time, it is not easy to install or build those energy saving facilities.
Just as Transparent said, they aren’t easy to install!
Get religion. Get into _traditional_ Roman Catholicism i.e. The Latin Mass . Confession > Communion. Check out Plenary Indulgences.
When you have a right relation with God, all else is easier to bear. Things work better. Trials are tinged with sweetness.
Ecology is not a religion in which you will find peace, but a Righteous man is in harmony with All.
Thanks for the interesting and useful information. Written well worth waiting for the next record. Read with interest. For the most part agree with the author, but some of the allegations are questionable ..