Tabitha Shearin

Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102
4 April 2015
An Off-Grid Study
As humans become more and more dependent on technology, imports, and the government; three
families have decided to set out and create their own homesteads in which to live sustainably and
free of economic connections with the outside world. All three families have moved onto land
bought in full or passed down to them, previously owned by other family. None of the families
use electricity provided by a company and have wells as their main water supply. In moving off
grid, these families are seeking the answer to the question, is it beneficial, overall, to live off
grid, as opposed to traditional on grid living?
To begin their transition, they must first establish what it means to be on grid. They look at it
like this: on grid is the societal and economic link that connects a family, or person, and their
home to companies, government agencies, and the direct community. People who live on grid
can be literally mapped within a tight district and share the same source or electricity, water,
trash collection, etc.
To research this in the grandest sense, the families chosen are very different in size, age ranges,
and needs. Family number one, the Alexanders, is a more traditional family. Jane and Mara
Alexander are in their mid thirties and have two children ages 10 and 7. They both have
backgrounds in sustainable technology and already own 30 solar panels. They purchased a ten
acre plot of land in the deep mountain woods of North Carolina.

Family number two, the Harris, consists of two children, ages 5 and 16, their parents, in their
early forties, and the maternal grandparents, in their mid sixties. This family has no sustainable
technology experience or knowledge but a vast knowledge of farming. The grandparents own the
40 acre plot of land the family lives on and has vast gardens already flourishing.
Family number three, John Rudder, is a single college student who attends university part time
and runs his two acre homestead the remainder of his time. His major is Agroecology and
Appropriate technology, so he is prepared, but must adapt his land as he learns.
Through their unique experiences, one may be able to determine if it is truly beneficial to be off
grid.
Economically, there is very little argument that can stand ground against off grid living being
more beneficial than on grid living. According to the US Energy Information Administration
statistics from 2013, the average American residential customer used around 10,900 Kilowatt
hours in a year; an average of approximately 900 kWh each month. Depending on location, that
averages between $90 and $160 a month, a total of between $1080 and $1920 a year (US EIA).
The Alexanders own thirty solar panels, which according to solar panel energy production would
mean they would still need to purchase around 5 more to provide 100% of their energy from
solar power, assuming they have a low solar panel wattage. (Off-grid solar system calculator)
Overall, for the Harris and for John Rudder, they would be looking at an up front cost of
between $15,000 to $29,000 for an averaged sized system. John, being a single man, would need
a lesser amount than the Harris because he will clearly be using less energy than a family of six.
The exact price can be calculated based on average kW use and several other factors (direct sun
exposure, etc). Luckily for these families, the US governments offers many incentives and
rebates on solar systems, one program covering up to 30% of your solar system. Along with

government incentives, many local governments have their own programs to make solar energy
more affordable to residents (solar energy Tax credit). Keeping in mind solar energy is not the
only form of sustainable energy, the three families also looked into different forms of sustainable
energy such as wind and hydropower. An average off grid wind turbine, producing less than 1
kWh, would cost between $4000 and $6000 dollars. A wind turbine that would produce enough
energy to support a home 100%, would cost about $30,000, before incentives and rebates, of
course (Wind power your home). Hydropower, exactly like wind power, is a sustainable energy
resource that is initially expensive and requires very specific, compatible conditions to work
properly. A hydropower system, depending on your size needs, would cost between $1000 and
$5000. Hydropower is much less reliable as water levels and availability can be debatable.
The Alexanders decided to use the solar panels to produce power for their home and purchased
5 additional units to total 100% sustainable energy production. The Harris live in the mountains
in a valley that is very windy and decided to spend, after incentive programs from the
government, $12,000 on a 100kW wind turbine. This turbine produces 100% of their home
energy and saves it in batteries. Mr. Rudder uses a mixture of wind power and hydropower on his
property. He has a high pressure stream running down the hill in his backyard which provides
around half of the very little electricity he uses, costing him $3000, and a wind turbine at the top
of his hill that cost him another $3000; making up a total of 100% of his electricity. Because
these start up costs seem so drastically high, to put it into perspective, the Alexanders home
system would result in higher savings than costs in less than three years. The Harris system
would break even in approximately six and a half years and Mr. Rudder would break even after 5
years. Their systems also contribute to raising their home value, and gives a return on investment
of over 200% (energyinformative). Over a lifespan, sustainable energy systems are incredibly

cost effective over traditional on grid systems. At most, a person would spend around 15 years
paying off a very high tech, overly producing system; which still is very short in the grand
scheme of things.
Food is the second place most on-grid peoples money goes to. The average American family
spends $148 to $289 a week on groceries (Hellmich); thats a total of $4320 a year for Mr.
Rudder, $7200 for the Alexanders, and $12,000 for the Harris. The average package of 100
seeds costs between $2 and $4 dollars and the average home garden would have, on the high end,
40 different vegetables (seedsavers). That would mean, total cost for seeds would be between
$80 and $120 and would last upwards of two to three years. Other than seeds, most homesteaders
could find, dig, or trade nutrient rich dirt to supply their garden. Factoring in fertilizers, if used,
and water, if needed, a garden would cost between $130 and $220 a year. That is a savings for
Mr. Rudder of over $4000 a year, the Alexanders a savings of around $7000 a year, and a savings
of over $11,700 a year. Another component of food production people do not think about is
meats. Depending on how meat people and families consume, prices per year can vary for each
type of meat and poultry. According to the USDA, the average price of ground beef is about
$3.70 a pound, around $1.50 for chicken, and $2.50 for pork (USDA).

The chart below breaks down the cost and quantity of each family consuming beef, pork, and
chicken per year (USDA).

Mr. Rudder (1)

The Alexanders (3)

The Harris (5.5)

Beef (lb/$)

64.4/$238.28

193.2/$714.84

354.2/$1310.54

Pork (lb/$)

47.6/$119

142.8/$357

261.8/$654.5

Chicken (lb/$)

52.9/$79.35

158.7/$238.05

290.95/$436.43

Total Cost per Year

$436.63

$1016.34

$2401.47

***(#) denotes number of adults being factors, children under 13 count as adult.

Comparing these numbers to the startup and feed costs of raising these animals, one would be
astounded. According to one persons experience with raising pigs for meat, the first years
startup costs run around $150 to $200 for materials for their habitat, etc. After the $25 cost to
purchase two young piglets and the cost of feed for their short life on the farm, they were able to
be slaughtered and the meat came to a price of $.22 a pound (motherearth). Compare that to the
$2.28 per pound. Chickens are even less expensive and more monetarily rewarding. Raising 18
average cost per pound of pork from a traditional grocery store at $2.50 a pound you are saving
chickens, the feed bill each month would be approximately $30. This amount of chickens,
depending on breeds and purposes, could yield from 9 to 17 eggs per day. Nine eggs is assuming
half the chickens produce eggs and 17 is assuming all but the rooster are egg layers. If half of
these chickens were for meat purposes and it takes approximately a year for the chickens to
mature enough to eat, they would yield upwards of 1.86lbs of meat per chicken
(housetohomestead). That is a total of 16.74 pounds of chicken meat if all 9 chickens were
slaughtered at once. Because the average person, lets take Mr. Rudder as an example, eats about
52.9lbs of chicken meat a year, he would need to raise and slaughter about 28 chickens. 28
chickens would cost about $20 a month to feed; considering grass, bugs, etc that can be found in
their outdoor areas to eat. This is not factoring in the eggs they will produce before their
slaughter time.
Depending on your farming situation, and your ability to grow grass for cows, a cow could either
be free to feed or cost a significant amount. If you feed your cow off of grass grown on your
property, the food cost could be zero. If you have to purchase bales or feed you could be paying

about $85 for a season. Steers can be bought for around $400, and assuming feed is $85; your
cow will cost $485, plus about $200 for butchering, totaling $685. This brings your meat per
pound price from $3.70 in the grocery store to around $2.50 (zephyrhillfarm).
Overall, raising livestock comes out to be much more financially beneficial than using a
conventional grocery store. Meats, poultry, and vegetables can be grown for relatively
inexpensive costs and yields much more than one would traditionally purchase. Although the
start up costs for solar, hydro, and wind power are expensive, there are so many assistance
programs and lifelong benefits to owning and using these systems that the short wait for pay off
is completely worth the reward, monetarily.
Many people, not our families in particular, choose to live off the for catastrophe preparedness
purposes. To evaluate whether our families would be prepared in the event of a natural disaster or
societal breakdown, they would have to first decide what goes into the preparation for these
disasters and what these families would already own. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency created a campaign called Ready which shows people the necessities for certain
situations and what should make up the ready kit in ones household. As a government run
website, this is something the American public would be immediately directed to in the event of
a catastrophe; therefore it should be reliable. The items in the ready kit include water, a three
day food supply for each person, a battery powered radio, extra batteries, a flashlight, first aid
kit, whistle, dust mask, personal sanitation supplies, wrench, can opener, maps, cell phone and
charger, medications, documents, cash, sleeping bags, clothing, and a several other items
(readykit). The three families will then evaluate, versus traditional on grid families, if they are
prepared based on this list.

The chart below was created based on statistics about sales, availability, and practical use for
each item. The statement made for each is determining the likelihood that these items would be
readily available in the home, not if they could be purchased.
On-grid living

Off-grid living

Water

public/city water

well

Three day food supply

Has planned

Has planned

Radio

8/10 of American pop. sold*

8/10 of American pop. sold*

Batteries

Has planned

Has planned

Flashlight

Has planned

Has planned

First Aid Kit

Has planned

Has planned

Whistle

Less likely

More likely

Dust Mask

Very unlikely

More likely (use with horses,

etc)

Personal Sanitation supplies

Has planned

Has planned

Wrench

Owned

Owned

Can opener

Owned

Owned

Maps

Owned

Owned

Cell phone

Owned

Owned

Medications

Has planned

Has planned

Documents

Has planned

Has planned

Cash

Has planned

Has planned

Sleeping bags

likely have

most likely have

Clothes

Has planned

Has planned

*http://www.statista.com/statistics/191301/sales-of-home-and-clock-radios-in-the-us-since2005/, http://www.census.gov/2010census/,

Overall, The Federal Emergency Management Agencys preparation list is thorough but does not
clearly determine that off-grid homesteaders are any more prepared than on-grid livers. Although
there are several items off-grid homesteaders are more likely to have because of tasks and
problems on-grid people would not experience, they do not have a large percentage of more
preparedness according to this list.
On the other side of the spectrum, preppers are people who dedicate their lives, and large
portions of their income, to preparing for disasters of all types. These people have emergency
kits that include homes, bunkers, and vehicles. An organization of preppers has compiled a
pyramid to determine the amount of bare minimum supply one should have in several different
disaster stages.
To describe the level of preparedness on-grid people and off-grid people have compared to this
pyramid, the chart below lists the level of emergency and the likelihood the two groups are to
have the resources on hand. Results are based on availability of resources and likelihood for each
group to have in their home or land.

Needs
Immediate

food supply,

(power outage,

camp stove and

snow storm)

fuel, water

3 days,

access

On-Grid

Off-Grid

Results

Extended

bulk food, fuel,

(tornado, long

container for

power outage,

water,

civil unrest) 3
weeks
Long-term
(hurricane, food
shortage,
earthquake) 3
months
Perpetual
(government
collapse, willing
off grid living)
http://www.ready.gov/kit

http://zephyrhillfarm.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-cost-of-raising-steer-how-much-does.html

http://www.housetohomestead.com/2011/03/chicken-math-how-much-meat-is-in-a-wholechicken/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-pigs-meatzmaz70mazglo.aspx

http://www.thoughtfulfoodfarm.com/farm-blog/pig-feed-economics

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/meat-price-spreads.aspx

http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/

http://energyinformative.org/solar-panels-cost/

http://www.hydro.org/why-hydro/affordable/

Hellmich, Nanci. "Cost of Feeding a Family of Four: $146 to $289 a Week." USA Today.
Gannett, 1 May 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/01/grocery-costs-for-family/2104165/>.

"Solar Energy Tax Credit & Rebates for Solar Panels | SolarCity." Solar Panels, Solar Tax Credit
& Rebates. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <http://www.solarcity.com/residential/solar-energy-tax-creditsrebates>.

Wind Power Your Home | Wind Energy Foundation." Wind Power Your Home | Wind Energy
Foundation. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <http://www.windenergyfoundation.org/wind-at-work/windconsumers/wind-power-your-home>.

"Cost of Home Solar Power Systems." Cost of Home Solar Power Systems. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.sunrun.com/solar-lease/cost-of-solar/>.

Introduction: paint the picture of the sustainable life. What does it look like, what does the
person look like, what does their environment look like? Pose the question is it beneficial to live
sustainably and does it make a difference? introduce the three family situations this paper will be
hypothetically calculating for
argument 1: Economics; financially is it beneficial for the three family units to live off grid.
Calculate and discuss electricity and power use and costs. By growing and raising their own
foods, what is the economic result of that. Monetary values of things like water.
argument 2: In the event of a government shutdown, natural disaster, etc, would be it be
beneficial to be off grid? using solar energy vs electricity. safety. resources on hand vs resources
one would normally purchase at a store
argument 3: is there a true health benefit to living off grid? statistics on life expectancy.GMOs vs
organic farming.

conclusion: findings

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<http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-information/start-here/offgrid-calculator#sunhoursmap>.

"Adventures on Zephyr Hill Farm." : The Cost of Raising a Steer: How Much Does Our
Beef Cost Us? N.p., 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
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2015.
Hahn, William. "USDA ERS - Meat Price Spreads." USDA - Meat Price Spreads. N.p.,
17 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Hellmich, Nanci. "Cost of Feeding a Family of Four: $146 to $289 a Week." USA Today.
Gannett, 1 May 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
"Home and Clock Radios." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Maelum, Mathias A. "How Much Do Solar Panels Cost." Energy Informative. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
"National Hydropower Association." National Hydropower Association Affordable
Comments. NHA, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.

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Foundation. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.