Key Points
- Off-grid living is a sustainable way of living that brings us back to our roots. By taking more control over our food, home, and interactions, off-grid living removes the stress and confusion associated with modern-day life.
- While living off the grid has a steep learning curve and extensive setup time and cost, you can tackle challenges seasonally and learn from the mistakes of the previous year to continuously elevate your comfort.
- Heating and cooling an off-the-grid home with a ductless mini split system is a smart decision to tailor climate control results that can differ between rooms.
- Additional hardware like water heaters, generators, solar panels, stoves and fireplaces, or walk-in coolers can upgrade off-grid living conditions significantly.
Choosing to live off the grid is becoming increasingly popular in our society. Technology becomes more advanced each and every day, leading to an unending cycle of change that’s a major source of pain, stress, anxiety, and more for many of us. Whether you’re looking to step off the hamster wheel and let yourself take in some fresh air or simply want to offer your family a more sustainable lifestyle, off-the-grid living may be the perfect fit for you. Keep reading this off-grid buying guide to learn more about what you need to establish your homestead and get to simple living.
Living Off Grid
Living off the grid is increasing in popularity as adults seek to find a lifestyle that doesn’t feel hectic, stressful, and detached. Most people today don’t understand what goes into their homes, their purchases, or even their bodies. With the way technology has changed almost every market, it’s easy to feel out of sync with a world that pushes forward no matter what. For those looking to live a fulfilling life that gives you full control over each aspect of your home and livelihood, off-grid living may be what you’ve been looking for.
Benefits of Off-Grid Living
If you’re considering the off-grid lifestyle, you’ll be able to enjoy benefits such as:
- Self-sustainable living surrounded by nature
- Animals and fresh food that you raise and grow
- A sense of accomplishment earned from learning how and why things work
- The satisfaction of knowing what concrete changes and advances you made in your life
- As much or as little interaction with the outside world as you desire
Challenges of Off-Grid Living
Not everything comes up smelling like roses when transitioning to an off-grid lifestyle. There are many obstacles to overcome, especially at the onset.
- A steep learning curve for people unfamiliar with many of the tasks (farming, etc.)
- Building up the energy reserves to handle everyday tasks
- How to store and stock bulk foods and household products
- Learning the feast of summer and the famine of winter, and how to compensate
- Maintaining adequate heating and cooling throughout your space
DIY Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioners
For anyone looking to live off the grid, one of the biggest changes is handling as many tasks as possible yourself. This range of outdoor tasks includes chores like farming, animal agriculture, and landscaping, as well as traditional responsibilities like cooking and cleaning, but the jobs don’t stop there. Managing your indoor climate control and tackling other home maintenance jobs that are commonly tasked to licensed professionals are also included in these duties. While some problems will require external solutions, getting yourself a DIY Ductless Mini Split System can give you one more tool in your arsenal that doesn’t require anyone you don’t know or trust to enter your space.
Benefits of Ductless Mini Split Systems
We’ve talked in-depth about the advantages offered by ductless mini split systems in our window unit vs mini split comparison post, but some benefits an off-grid homeowner would care about the most include:
- The ability to install the system by yourself (no licensed technician required!)
- Total control over where the system is installed
- Heat Pump systems both cool and warm your space with a single unit
- The option on some MrCool models to extend warranty coverage with the MrCool Cleaning Kit, keeping the system running with peak performance for longer
MrCool DIY Mini Split Ductless Split Systems
The MrCool DIY Mini Split Systems are fully ductless, and the do-it-yourself installation requires only the hook-up of electrical and refrigerant connections between the indoor and outdoor components to give you powerful performance. Able to handle spaces ranging from a single zone to five zones, ductless mini splits let you tailor your climate control to the unique needs of your structure by providing individualized temperatures in each area. Each system comes with setup instructions that walk you through installation step-by-step so that you can enjoy heating and cooling throughout your off-grid home without any guesswork.
Fireplaces and Stoves
Whether you’re living off the grid in an area with consistent year-round temperatures or a region that fluctuates to have harsh summers and frigid winters, having a stove that usurps the need for electricity gives you an easier option to keep you and your loved ones cozy and comfortable, even when the power goes out. Whether you’re the type of person to chop down trees to heat your home, or someone who’d rather use an alternative fuel option, a fireplace or stove is a wonderful way to give robust heating to your space.
Wood Stove Heating
Adding warmth to your off-the-grid home with a wood stove is a common choice. Wood-burning stoves are a staple for a variety of reasons, including:
- Old-fashioned and effective heating solution for supplemental heating
- The sound, smell, and ambiance most picture when thinking of sitting by the fire
- Flexible installation that requires outdoor venting
- The best option for the lowest impact on the environment without compromising results
Pro tip: Set a US Stove Cast Iron Chicken Steamer on your wood stove to maximize your comfort while complementing your aesthetic! Steamers are a great way to add humidity, pleasant scents, and more to your home in winter.
Gas Stove Heating
For those looking for all the functionality of a stove without the maintenance associated with real wood-burning fixtures, gas stoves are a great solution. You’ll enjoy:
- All the charm of a real wood fireplace without the unpredictability
- None of the undesired popping and noises of real wood
- No need for physical labor to provide fuel for the stove
- Similar installation requirements to wood-burning alternatives
Generators
Supplying power to your off-the-grid home can feel like one of the trickier tasks, but generators were designed to give you the electricity you need when you don’t have access to the main power grid. As your main source of electricity or a backup for when severe weather leads to an outage, a generator is a great way to keep your home powered and comfortable in any situation.
Standby Generators
Kicking on in case of any power outage, a standby generator is a great way to keep you and your home safe without the need for manual intervention. Standby generators usually turn on automatically in the case of any disconnect from your primary source of electricity to keep things like your fridge, HVAC system, and other essential equipment running in any conditions.
Pro tip: If your standby generator doesn’t come with a transfer switch, be sure to choose an option that suits your needs!
Portable Generators
Portable generators are a great way to keep light and power on any of your outdoor projects while travelling or living off the grid. Whether you need to supply electricity to run your power tools, hook up outdoor lights for a nice evening outside, or give yourself a backup option for flexibility in the face of severe weather.
Water Heaters
Nothing ruins a nice, hot shower after a hard workout or long day at work like the hot water running out before you’re sufficiently clean and relaxed. Water heaters are a big piece of the HVAC puzzle that give you warm water for your sink, shower, and laundry so you can effectively clean and sanitize clothing, dishes, and yourself.
Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters
Tanked water heaters are still more commonplace, but tankless water heaters are a game-changer for space conservation and efficient operation. Some advantages of tankless units are:
- Low cost and high savings
- Running on gas rather than electricity (as does most off-the-grid hardware)
- Space saving by not requiring a large tank to store pre-heated water
- On-demand heating reduces energy consumption
Tankless Water Heater Systems
Offering remarkable energy efficiency, tankless water heater systems only run when you’re using an appliance or faucet that requires hot water. This minimizes unnecessary energy waste, providing reactionary results instead of proactively heating water in bulk, then burning energy to maintain a consistent temperature. Working with a variety of water sources and types, your city, well, hard, or soft water can be warmed effectively by most tankless systems to save on both cost and space.
Other Off-Grid Water Filtration Needs
Solar Panels
Solar paneling is a great way to provide electricity for your space with no monthly utility costs. In some cases, you can even sell the excess electricity you generate back to the grid for an extra buck or two! For those looking to live off the grid, the use of renewable resources is a huge boon that minimizes your footprint and provides game-changing advantages.
Benefits of Solar Power
Other than in regions with little to no sunshine, almost anywhere in the US can benefit from solar power. Reasons to set up solar panels for your home are numerous and convincing:
- Long-term sustainability using a renewable energy source
- Savings (or money back) on your monthly utilities
- Energy independence as power prices fluctuate and rise
- Minimal maintenance requirements over the years
Solar Panel Systems
While having a higher entry price point than some home systems, the benefits of solar power more than make up for the initial investment cost in the long run. Many manufacturers and types of solar panel systems can be found on the market today, so picking the right option for your space is paramount. With some systems working best in harsher climates, some offering more power bang for your buck, and some coming with impressive warranties that last as long as your off-the-grid lifestyle, solar panel systems are a powerful solution option for supplying power to your off-grid home.
Refrigeration for Walk-In Coolers
When you’re living off the grid, it’s important to have plenty of safe food storage. The MrCool Compact Refrigeration Unit for Walk-In Cooler is the perfect solution for any number of home cooling needs. We break down many of the use cases for the unit in our MrCool Compact Refrigeration System Spotlight, highlighting options for storing flowers, vaccines, vegetables, whole animals, and more! For your homestead, keep your food safe and cool with a dedicated walk-in from MrCool.
Find the Right Equipment for Your Off-the-Grid Project
No matter where you’re looking to live off the grid, there is an HVAC solution that can keep you and your loved ones comfortable in any season. Choosing the right combination of heating and cooling equipment doesn’t have to be overwhelming! If you’re not sure where to start, chat with our customer support team, describe your situation and goals, and relax while our team does the legwork to help you ensure your home has every piece of hardware you need to enjoy the top-tier temperature regulation you deserve.
