The Pros and Cons of Going Off the Grid

When you think of living "off the grid" you may picture a secluded cabin in the woods with no electrical conveniences and water from a brook out back. Today, living off the grid is much more civilized than you might image. In fact, you can even live off the grid in a residential neighborhood where all your neighbors are still reliant on it.

What is Living Off the Grid?

Image via Flickr by spanginator

Living off the grid simply means that you're living without any reliance on the power grid. You can do this even if your home is technically connected to the grid by declining services from your power company. Instead of using traditional sources of electricity, most families living off the grid generate their own power. Thus, living off the grid doesn't mean giving up electricity. It simply means creating and storing it yourself with sustainable choices such as solar panels or a wind turbine.

The Benefits of Going Off the Grid

Many people choose to live off the grid so they can enjoy a greener lifestyle that leaves a smaller carbon footprint on the earth. Over the long-term, living off of your own green energy may also be less expensive than relying on a traditional power company. You'll also enjoy the independence of living off your own power. Outages won't affect you even when the rest of the neighborhood is without power. Using your own sustainable energy is sure to make you more aware of your energy usage and may encourage you to take other energy-saving measures.

The Challenges of Going Off the Grid

Living off the grid is not without its challenges. You'll be responsible for installing and maintaining all your equipment. Setting up an independent power system is a major investment and the cost savings of living off the grid may not catch up to you for several years. If your power generation system doesn't produce adequate energy, you will simply have to wait for more. Well-maintained batteries should supply your home with adequate energy, but you'll need to keep an eye on your power usage.

Alternatives to Leaving the Grid Completely

If you're not ready to go completely off the grid, you can set up a system that allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds. Many electricity providers will work with you so you can stay on the grid while relying primarily on your own renewable energy. When you deplete your energy sources, you can tap back into the grid for supplementary electricity to get you through the day. Your overall power bills and energy consumption are greatly reduced, but you're never left completely without.

Making the Decision

Many personal factors come into play when it comes to living off the grid. If your home isn't already connected to the grid, setting up sustainable energy is often cheaper than running power out to your home. Your dedication to green living may also influence your choice.

Whether you live completely off the grid of just partially off, you can make great strides in energy conservation and energy independence by producing at least some of your power yourself.

Sources:

How Stuff Works - How Living Off the Grid Works
Mother Nature News - What Are the Pros and Cons of Going Off the Grid?
Love to Know - Living off the Grid
Living Off the Grid - Living Off the Grid

Author Bio:

Mandi Rogier writes often on a range of topics including home, garden, and green living. Many websites and blogs feature her pieces including Garden Guides, Trails, and eHow.

Surviving a Monster Tornado

On Monday May 20th a savage tornado ripped the town of Moore, Oklahoma in half. The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF-5 (over 200 mph). At one point the path of obliteration was 1.3 miles wide.

This destruction is a grim reminder of the meat hook realities that can and do happen on a regular basis. Sadly at least 24 people lost their lives, 9 of which were children.

Moore was also destroyed 14 years ago by an EF-5 tornado. The winds in that storm set the fastest wind speed record at 318 mph. That storm killed 36 people, injuring hundreds and caused $1 billion in damages much of which was insured.

Luckily more people did not perish thanks to the deep rooted preparedness of the Oklahomans. After many generations of living on the great plains people have come to a set of best practices to follow in order to survive a tornado, they are outlined below.

Before a Tornado

First off, don’t live in tornado alley.

Secondly, if you do live in an area prone to tornados, get a robust home insurance policy because your home may at some point face one of these monsters. We all know the first thing that races through your mind when you are hunkered down in your bathtub with a matress over your head and listening to your roof get torn off is “oh crap, does my homeowners insurance policy cover that?”

Seriously though, the first step to being prepared is building up and keeping an emergency kit on hand. Also, make a plan for communicating and meeting up with your family.

The most reliable source for severe weather information is through the NOAA Weather Radio, get one and turn it on during a tornado warning.

Be alert and read the skies for danger. Signs to look for include a dark and ominous green sky. Look for large hail and look for a large dark low lying cloud. Anything that starts rotating is definitely not a good sign.

Many times a tornado rolls up before the sound alarms go off. Don’t wait for an alarm, trust your senses. If you hear something like a screaming freight train run for shelter.

During a Tornado

If you are outside with no shelter, then run. Your first option is to get to your car and drive to the nearest structure that looks safe. Don’t forget to buckle up, it could be a bumpy ride.

If a tornado jumps up on you, don’t try to outrun it because you probably can’t. You might be able to get away if there is an unblocked country road. It all depends on the tornado’s trajectory. Things aren’t like the movie Twister where you can have a tornado-car chase sequence and live to tell about it.

If your car is getting nailed with debris, pull over and tuck down under the dashboard, cover yourself with whatever you can. If there are no structures nearby you will be better off locating and getting to the lowest spot you can find on the earth lay in. Lay face down and cover your head.

A mobile home is not considered a safe structure. Get out of a trailer if you are in one and crawl into a ditch or a culvert or even a creekbed.

Structures

If you can get to a structure, go into the basement or the lowest point you can get to. If there is no basement or access is blocked then go to the center of the building to a small room, closet or hallway with no windows. If the center of the structure still has a window visible do not open it. Get under a strong table or anything that can give protection from falling debris, duck down and cover up.

Storm Cellars

The absolute best place to be to survive a tornado is in a storm cellar. Storm cellars are usually accessible from outside and are safely located underground. The best storm cellars are made from steel rebar reinforced concrete. Secure a steel door on storm cellar like that and it doubles as a bomb shelter. The benefit with storm cellars is that they are below ground. Being embedded into and covered with earth makes the shelter wind resistant.

Safe Rooms

Another effective option is a safe room. Safe rooms are convenient because they are located within a home. Safe rooms also can add value to a home. Essentially a safe room is a reinforced structure anchored within the center of a home or building. FEMA construction plans for building a safe room can be found here. A safe room can be modified to withstand more than just high winds. If you line the room with layers of heavy gauge sheet metal or lead it then gets upgraded a fallout shelter.

Supplies

Whether you have a basement, safe room or storm cellar be sure to have your supplies stocked up and in place for use. At a minimum, store things like bottled water, food like MREs, batteries, flashlights and a radio.

You might want to store valuable belongings and documents in your safe room as well, anything you don’t want blown away.

Think about what you will need on hand for the aftermath. You will need sturdy boots, work gloves, a medical kit and a large crowbar.

The Aftermath

After surviving the tornado you will want to go out and start trying to help the injured and the people buried in debris, this is when a medic kit and crowbar comes in handy. Be careful though, 50% of injuries happen after a tornado during rescue efforts and cleaning up.

The prepared and alert citizen will always have the advantage during times of disaster.

About the Author Rich Coffman lives and writes from the front range of Colorado. He designed and produced the Boulder County, Colorado Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Preparedness Guide.

Survival Kit Needs and Wants

It is a little difficult to pinpoint exactly what a survival kit or bug-out bag is supposed to look like. It is pretty easy to give a vague, general idea of the stuff you would want inside a bag that is supposed to keep you alive, but when it comes to giving specific answers, it can get tricky.

The general rule is each bag is supposed to be designed to fit your needs. Before you get excited and start tossing everything into your bag remember this is something you are going to be carrying. The more you put in the bag, the heavier it will be.

So, we need to revisit that general rule. You are focusing on your NEEDS, not your WANTS. This will help you narrow down the supplies and gear you choose to include in your bug-out bag.

Your first and most important need is your life. Meaning, you need to ensure your personal safety as well as have the ability to cope with first aid needs. The ability to breathe and your heart to pump are obviously pretty crucial to staying alive. You must be prepared to prevent anybody from taking those things from you. However, if at all possible, avoid any confrontations. Whether you win or lose, you are still wasting valuable energy. Along with that, you also need to think before you act. Do not jump into a raging river. It is likely to rob you of your breath and quite possibly your life.

Once your personal safety need is addressed, you need to focus on your core body temperature. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather on hikes or even a trip to the store. Your clothing is your first line of defense against the elements. If you are packing for an overnight trip, keep this in mind.

The third need you must consider is hydration. Either carry water with you or make sure you have access to clean drinking water. If that is not possible, you need to have some way of cleaning any water you come upon before ingesting.

Your last need is food. You need to refuel your body in order to keep going and to stay alive. Remember, food is often a want. You only need to eat enough to survive. Sure, it would be great to sit down and eat three meals a day. Unfortunately, in a survival situation, that just may not be possible.

Craig Caudill teaches about survival kits both online at www.dansdepot.com and also offline at his Nature Reliance School.