![]() Residential emissions make up 16% of our national carbon footprint, and is the only major emissions category that hasn’t decreased since 2014 – so the more households that decide to go off-grid, the better. You may even choose to engage in environmentally positive pursuits like gardening, growing fruits and vegetables, and raising chickens, which will further reduce your footprint. You may well also shrink your footprint by changing your working patterns and consumption habits – for instance by commuting less or not at all, and by relying less on online shopping. You can wipe out your energy-associated carbon footprint, removing 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere, on average. With the typical household facing an outlay of £42,300, it’ll take 26 years to break even – and that’s in the unlikely situation that you won’t have to pay for any repairs.Īnd if you’re planning on buying a houseboat or a van, or if you intend to build a whole new home, that’ll obviously cost more.īut that’s unlikely to be your only motivation, or indeed your main one, so let’s analyse the impact you can have on the climate by going off-grid. The average three-bedroom household will save £1,626 per year by completely eliminating its energy bills – a dream for many of us – but the upfront costs are steep. It’s not worth going off-grid if your only goal is to save money – but in environmental terms, it’s one of the most fulfilling, impactful paths you can choose. It may also cost you more to go off-grid if you buy a new plot of land or an alternative form of home, like a boat or mobile home, instead of staying in your current property. We’ve also factored in the cost of disconnecting your home from the grids, and assumed you’ll cut your electricity and gas usage by 40%, which is pretty standard for off-grid homes. If you get a ground source heat pump though, you’ll usually end up paying another £16,500-£41,500. If you get a heat pump while the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is still active, you can get £7,500 off the cost of an air, ground, or water source heat pump. If you get a 1.5 kW model installed on your land – for £8,500, on average – that should make up for the shortfall and give you a source of power when the sun doesn’t shine.įor heat, we’ve included the price of an air or water source heat pump – which are both available for £10,000, typically. Your solar batteries will help you to use 80% of the energy your solar panels generate, but it’s practically impossible to use 100% – at least in a cost-effective way. This total includes 16 solar panels, a wind turbine, and 13 kWh of solar battery storage, which will in most cases keep you supplied with electricity all year round. It costs £42,000 to go off-grid in the UK, on average. You can also spread the costs and difficulties by joining an off-grid community, or by teaming up with others to start one. Check out: The 9 Best Solar Panels in the UK. The biggest obstacle to going off-grid is financial, because setting up new sources of energy unavoidably costs a lot of money, whether in the short or long term.īut as long as you can afford the upfront cost of buying solar panels, storage batteries, and a heat pump – or the ongoing costs of coal, gas, and/or oil – it’s totally feasible. You can purchase a plot of land and create your own home, buy a houseboat, or purchase a mobile home. “Solar panels are better, camping gear is better, and mobiles and the internet – instead of cutting you off from civilisation – makes you more civilised by keeping you connected.” Nick Rosen, an expert in off-grid living who founded, told The Eco Experts: “It was much more difficult 20 years ago. It’s definitely possible and legal to go off-grid in the UK, as shown by the tens of thousands of households currently living in this way.Īnd it’s getting easier. ![]()
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