Living Off The Grid: Privacy Through Resource Independence
by Bill Rounds Recently by Bill Rounds: Keep Your Home Address To Yourself
Some people might equate living off the grid with living similar to how Olympic skier Bode Miller did growing up, no electricity, no water, in a remote cabin like it's 1099 CE. For some, the idea is romantic, but there are few who are passionate enough about becoming energy independent, reducing their carbon footprint, saving money, or privacy to sacrifice that much of their life, and I don’t blame them. Although Les Stroud chose to go off the grid by purchasing a remote property and supplying it with what he needed, an idea appealing to many, others who wish to vanish in plain site can easily go off the grid as well. Going off the grid is becoming a much less intrusive process, even an average suburban home can go off the grid at the initial cost of a home renovation with no serious disruptions in their way of life. Not having to consume the products of the utility companies means not having to continuously disclose your location and compromise your privacy. Here are the main systems that you can replace. Electricity
Producing all of the electricity that you consume is a function of many factors. The climate you live in, the appliances you have, your own personal habits, state laws, local zoning ordinances, and more can all affect your decision about how to produce all of your own electricity. No matter where you live, you will probably use a combination of solar panels, wind turbines, battery power, and a standby generator. Another component may be to use propane tanks or propane-powered generators or appliances. Different combinations of these items can create more than enough power for the average household. Although some like to sell their excess power back to the grid, where possible, if privacy is your goal, severing your connection to the grid altogether is preferred. Water Water is the most difficult modern service to produce more than your demand. Usually the best option to get your own water is to dig a well on your property. This can be expensive but, where possible, is a great way to be self-sufficient in collecting water. This option is probably not even possible if you live in a suburban area. There is also the option of installing a rainwater harvesting system. The area of an average household in most of the US is sufficient to collect a significant amount of water. With a water tank to store the rainwater, you can take the rain that falls for a few months, weeks, or days per year, and make it last throughout the year. You might have to change the landscaping of your yard and install low-flow fixtures to create a lower water demand, but the normal demands of a household can usually be met. In those areas that do not receive enough rain to supply your household with the water that it needs, a few deliveries per year from a bulk water delivery company to refill your tanks will probably suffice. Sewer Many homes and businesses use septic tanks rather than a connection to the sewer line. With a septic tank installed, you can hire a private service to pump it on a regular basis, rather than make regular payments to the city for sewer service. Conclusion It is no longer necessary to give up most of the creature comforts that we take for granted in order to go off the grid. Adopting a lifestyle that uses less water and energy can make the process cheaper, but like Survivorman, I like to plug in my guitar sometimes. Expectations and needs of a modern household can now be met while still maintaining privacy from utility companies by going off the grid. More compete strategy for using off-grid living for privacy can be found if you get How To Vanish the book. What Privacy Issues Concern You? I write articles based mostly on what I am thinking about and what I think other people would be interested in learning. I have also been spending some time putting these ideas down in a very detailed and organized way in a book so that I can present it as good resource for everyone. I have also been asked to write about some topics that answer some of the questions of readers for other websites. When those are published I will let you know, but I want to make sure that I am addressing all of the issues that you, the readers, are concerned about. Leave comments and emails about what privacy concerns you have and I will do my best to respond to your concerns. Reprinted with permission from How to Vanish. January 20, 2011 Bill Rounds, J.D. is a California attorney. He holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Utah and a law degree from California Western School of Law. He practices civil litigation, domestic and foreign business entity formation and transactions, criminal defense and privacy law. He is a strong advocate of personal and financial freedom and civil liberties. Copyright © 2011 How to Vanish
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