Living off the grid does not mean being “grid-tied”. Grid-tied means your home runs on solar and/or wind power but is also “tied” (wired) to the local municipal electrical utility company. The utility company may even pay you a small fee for the amount of electricity you pump into the grid. This is not OFF THE GRID.

Off Grid simply means you are completely disconnected from the local city/county electrical grid and water supply. That’s it. Some folks’ definition extends to complete independence and self reliance including building your cabin, growing your own food, producing your own energy and water, and being 100% self sufficient. Basically, what many people consider truly free.

Still others take it even further in preparation for natural disasters and survival scenarios including doomsday events and post apocalyptic survival. Preppers and survivalists like living off the grid because it’s part of their way of life and they will not need to depend on the system in case of economic or governmental collapse. They believe if society collapses that if you’re not off grid, you won’t survive.

But does OFF THE GRID really mean just that “LIVING IN REMOTE AREAS OFF THE GRID?”

Not in South Africa. Living “off the grid” simply means removing one’s self from the municipal grid of as mentioned being “Grid tied” wherever you live.

With the initial investment costs for being OFF THE GRID being impossible for most South Africans. The second best is removing one’s self from the municipal “ONE STEP AT A TIME”

Here we mention steps taken for cost effectiveness and level of costs

To simply overcome Black outs/Load shedding. Have a UPS system in place. “Grid tied”
Replacing electric stove to GAS “Off the grid”
Upgrading to a Solar / Wind turbine system for power saving “Off the grid or grid tied depending on you affordability of investment”
Replacing the geysers with a gas water heaters or Solar Powered or Complete solar geyser replacement. “Off the grid”
If you lucky to be in a semi remote area to have a borehole or able to drill for a bore hole. This allows you “FREE” water. Having said that paying electricity for the pump can cost more than municipal water supply. Thus it’s imperative to have an off the grid power system in-place for the borehole pump.
Water purification system is neither “off the grid” or “grid tied” however considering the degradation of water supply in SA its imperative for drinking water to have a water purification system in place. This is also necessary for borehole water.

Now you covered all the main systems for the most cost effectiveness over time and the saving can be calculated!

The NEXT LEVEL of LIVING OFF THE GRID to be considered as truly “LIVING OFF THE GRID”

Living on a plot or farm its most likely you already using a French Drain or Septic Tank for sewage and grey water already. So with this in place and the above taken care of. You will be truly “Off the grid”.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE !! These steps go beyond “living off the grid”

This effectively considered “environmentally conscious.”

You can recover you grey water for recycling and use for irrigation
Eco friendly toilet for the use of the dried sewage to use as compost