Let’s say that you find that perfect chunk of dirt and you decide to build your modest dwelling there. It’s pretty much an ‘off grid’ situation so you’re on your own for power. The way I see it there are things that you’ll need to run:
- Generator
- Well Pump
- Lights
- Fridge/freezer
- Heat/Water heater
- Stove
- Assorted small devices (phone charging, table lamps, laptop, etc.
(Not a complete list, I know)
So now, you’ve got a choice about how to run things..you can go with propane, gasoline, diesel, or electric (from generator, hydro, PV, wind, etc.)
And, of course, you could do some combination of the various fuels/ systems….you could run your lights and accessories offa PV system, your well pump off a generator, and your generator, heat, water heater, etc. off propane.
Or you could try to do one fuel to cover all those needs…something like everything being electric and running off a generator.
So, my question is…how would you set things up? To my way of thinking, propane would cover all systems…propane to run the generator, freezer/fridge, heat, water heater, stove, and the electrical would have its needs met from the propane generator. Although, most likely, I’d just wire for DC and use 12v LED light fixtures and lamps. Laptops already charge from DC. Use propane for everything else.
There’s also nothing that says a household can’t be a multi-fuel affair. I’m thinking that for my anticipated needs, some sort of PV battery system (unless I’ve got running water for a turbine, or perhaps a windmill) to run the low-draw electric like lights, radios, etc, and then propane to do the heavy lifting of generator-driven electric well pump, propane stove, water heater, fridge/freezer, and furnace.
The drawback to propane is that you cant just walk down the road, borrow some from a neighbor, and carry it back to your home in a bucket like you could with diesel or gasoline. And theres the matter of getting a truck out to your location to refill your tank. I’m not sure of the regulations regarding transporting a large propane tank to get it refilled, but I wonder if a 250- or 500-gallon tank, permanently mounted to a trailer, hauled into town once a year to be filled, and then returned home and reconnected to the house system would work.
Yes, I’m sure I could live in a cabin with a woodstove that heats the place up and makes my hot water but I like to think that in a pre-apocalypse world I would strive for a bit more comfort and convenience than that.
So…if it were you…and you had to provide for lighting, heat, hot water, well pump. and device charging, what would be your fuel of choice? Keep in mind, we’re trying to keep as low a profile as possible…so a tanker truck of some flavor coming by twice a year is not optimum.
Embrace the power of ‘and’…
At my BOL, we have co-op provided electricity, water. Propane in a big tank out front. It’s a brick, slab on grade ranch style house, so not built with low energy use in mind.
I’ve got, or am slowly getting, dual fuel generators. Gas and propane in this case. Water heater, furnace, and kitchen are propane. The pump I need to run is the septic system, or a jet pump to move lake water into storage and treatment if the grid was down. I’ve got solar panels and inverters in the shed, ready to deploy if needed. They are good for charging stuff, radios, and running convenience items, but I don’t have much storage yet. WROL I’d be salvaging from vehicles, but currently I’m slowly buying deep cycle batteries.
I base a lot of my preps on what I can get cheap, or what shows up in the various auctions I follow. If I was doing it from scratch and new, I’d probably go for a diesel gennie as the occasional “big load” power source. Moving diesel yourself isn’t a big deal, and storage tanks (in the form of home heating oil tanks) are easy to come by. There are portable diesel heaters too as well as boiler/heater units for the house. Your gennie should be for intermittent, big draw items, like running saws, welders, or a big pump, or charging batteries if your solar falls behind.
I’d want solar and batteries for small but constant stuff like cams, networking, lighting, fridge and chest freezers, and charging.
Cooking and heating with electricity is inefficient, but if you have enough solar and storage, and your demands were small… doable and renewable.
A woodstove for heat and cooking is a good back up if there is wood available. It’s not stealthy.
Wind doesn’t generate much for the investment, but I do have a small turbine waiting for installation. I’ve got a very consistent breeze off the lake.
I like choices, and backups, and the ability to use whatever is available, so I’ve got a lot of different systems.
If I was you, and more remote, I think propane, solar with storage, passive solar for heat, and maybe active solar for hot water, and a woodstove as backup would cover most of your needs. There are big propane tanks you can move yourself, or you could get more than one big one, to limit the deliveries. We use more propane than I expected just for cooking and heat. My little 30 amp honda inverter gennie burns one BBQ bottle every 10-12 hours.
Of course, add a dual fuel gennie for backup, kero for heat and light, and cooking in a pinch, and an electric chainsaw so you can use the solar to cut wood when all the gasoline is gone…
n
I put a 6′ LED strip under one of my cabinets & was amazed at the light output. It plugs into 120VAC & steps it down to 12VDC. So I had an epiphany: I got another one, left off the adaptor, & put it in my truck topper, running straight off 12V. Presto! Plenty of light in the topper.
Added– just re-read my comment and I wasn’t clear about the diesel thing.
If you have home heating oil available in your area, then building the house around oil heat, and hot water, maybe with hot water radiant heat might be a good base. You can have extra tanks, and store diesel for your truck, backup gennie, etc.
I’d still do solar with storage, and make the system big enough to cook and clean with electricity.
If you are just doing a small cabin, you have more flexibility than if you are doing a modern house with all the mod cons…
n
In my neck of the woods, 100 pound canisters can be hauled in for refilling. I cannot speak to the larger sizes. Propane checks a lot of boxes.