Tabitha Shearin

Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102
19 April 2015
An Off-Grid Study

As humans become more and more dependent on technology, imports, and the
government; three families, a family of one, four, and six; have decided to set out and create
their own homesteads in which to live sustainably and free of economic connections with the
outside world. All three families have moved onto land bought in full or passed down to them,
previously owned by other family members. None of the families use electricity provided by a
company and have wells as their main water supply. In moving off-grid, these families are
seeking the answer to the question, is it beneficial, overall, to live off-grid?
Living off-grid and homesteading has always been a goal of mine. The recent boom of
technological advances in sustainable energy has made me inquisitive about the potential to be
completely self sustaining and the possibilities that come from using wind, solar, and hydro
energy. The idea of providing for myself and my family, and thriving off of what the land can
provide rather than being dependent on mass production and transportation is something that I
find refreshing. Like the three families that live on their homesteads I want to be able to as
independent from society, while still coexisting, as possible.
I believe it is important before we begin to first establish what it means to be on-grid. Look at
it like this: on-grid is the societal and economic link that connects a family, or person, and their
home to companies, government agencies, and the direct community. People who live on-grid

can be literally mapped within a tight district and share the same source or electricity, water,
trash collection, etc.
Many families, like the three we are discussing, choose to go off-grid in search for
freedom from society, disaster preparation, or as a lifestyle choice. It is people like these
families, that are setting forth in the technological era to experience life as it was only a little
over one hundred years ago. With their knowledge and skills gained people like them could and
someday will be able to answer our question to the masses. With the knowledge of there being
significant benefits to being off-grid many people will likely choose to live as such. Land prices
will increase and housing prices will decrease as people seek to own property rather than grid
tied homes. Sales of solar, wind, and hydropower systems will rapidly grow and new sustainable
companies will flourish as they provide systems for homes and businesses. Americans, as a
whole, will become more active and healthy as those fit for homesteading do so, and provide
their products to those unwilling to work. Society would greatly change with the knowledge of
off-grid living being beneficial over on-grid living, but the change would definitely not be seen
rapidly and would unlikely be very widespread, as people have grown accustomed to going to a
store for everything they need.
Despite a lack of research, there are many viable organizations, companies, and people
who have invested their time and money into answering the smaller questions that encompass: is
there a benefit, overall, to living off the grid? On one end of the spectrum, big business has
provided us with a great deal of information, and innovation, in the field of sustainable
development. Their research and development technology does not answer the question directly,
but guides a consensus with facts and statistics. On the complete other side of the spectrum,
alternative off-grid people and preppers have established guidelines and manuals on the process

and results of living off-grid, for a variety of reasons. Their research leads them to conclusions in
regards to safety, health, and lifestyle management while living off the grid. While no one
explicitly states that there is a clear benefit to living off the grid, research from all parties
suggests there are many benefits, as well as some disadvantages.
The easiest way to answer this question, in the most general of senses, is to break it down
into three subgroups: economics, preparedness for disaster, and in terms of health.
Economically, there is very little argument that can stand ground against off-grid living
being more beneficial than on-grid living. With the ever-improving manufacturing of sustainable
energy systems, things that harness solar, wind, hydro, etc, power; prices for materials and startup are decreasing while productivity is increasing (Wholesale Solar). This means it is becoming
more and more affordable for the average citizen to afford powerful sustainable energy
harnessing systems.
A great example of cost effectiveness comes from Wholesale Solar who has created a calculator
to help people and families determine the approximate number of solar panels they would need;
our six person family would need about 48 solar panels to produce 100% of their energy, our
four person family would need about 36, and our one person family would need just 28 (figures
assuming they all live in the same location) (Wholesale Solar). For each family respectively, they
will be paying $28,500, 18,2000, $17,000. That may seem like a lot but when you look at US
energy statistics, you will note that our three families spend between $1,080 and $1,920 a year on
energy bills. Once we subtract local and federal government discounts and incentives, these
families, at most, would come out paying 70% of the cost (US Department of Energy)! Looking
at it that way, if their loans are over a ten year span the biggest family would be paying

approximately $1425 a year for a solar PV system, a savings of $500. Once the system is paid
off, the cost of energy is free.
Besides energy, many other factors play into the economics of a home. Food, miscellaneous bills,
recreation, and resources all can drain a bank account quicker than energy costs. Keeping in
mind medical bills, recreational activities, and necessities that cannot be avoided, off-grid people
and families save a significant amount of money on food by producing their own. They also tend
to have much more resources available, more readily, than traditional on-grid people. Lets use
our four person family as an example; while having cost efficient means of energy, they have two
children who attend school in town and jobs twenty minutes away. They have costs each month
for school related projects and sports, gas money to travel to and from work, and additional funds
for typical family recreation. On average they spend about $150 in gas for work transportation,
$50 for school fees, and $100 for family activities. If you think about it in regards to their energy
savings This is money that they can spend because they saved on water, by having a well, and
saved on electricity because they have been making reasonable payments on a solar PV system.
The second factor looked at to determine whether or not off-grid living has any benefit over ongrid living was preparedness. Some off-grid people are what todays society calls preppers;
these are people who live an off-grid lifestyle because they believe they are preparing for a
social, natural, or even planetary, disaster. Many of them have bunkers, armories, and vehicles
for when these disasters occur. Although prepping is not the same as off-grid living, resources
created by these people can be used to assess the level of preparedness the average family, both
on and off-grid, would be in the event of a disaster. Comparing the resources, deemed
appropriate for living after a disaster by the prepper community, it was clear that off-grid people
would be far more efficient and prepared for survival than on-grid people. The Survival Food

Pyramid dictates that in the worst case scenario, one would need seeds, a water source with
filtration, bulk staple foods, a large source of fuel, and access to hunting (Survival Food
Pyramid).
In regards to our three families, they would have a ready supply of these resources
because, most of them, they use daily. For a typical suburban or urban family, they would very
unlikely have access to running natural water and hunting area. They may have the resources to
garden to some capacity but they would likely still need to buy or find seeds after the disaster has
already occurred.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Federal Emergency Management Agency created a
campaign called Ready which shows people the necessities for certain situations and what should
make up the ready kit in ones household. As a government run website, this is something the
American public would be immediately directed to in the event of a catastrophe; therefore it
should be reliable. The items in the ready kit include water, a three day food supply for each
person, a battery powered radio, extra batteries, a flashlight, first aid kit, whistle, dust mask,
personal sanitation supplies, wrench, can opener, maps, cell phone and charger, medications,
documents, cash, sleeping bags, clothing, and a several other items (USFEMA). Overall, The
Federal Emergency Management Agencys preparation list is thorough but does not clearly
determine that off-grid homesteaders are any more prepared than on-grid livers. Although there
are several items off-grid homesteaders are more likely to have because of tasks and problems
on-grid people would not experience, they do not have a large percentage of more preparedness
according to this list. The idea of determining whether one group of people is more of anything
than another is always subjective. Because of this, the question does not have a definitive answer
but an educated assumption.

The last factor used to determine if off-grid living is more beneficial than on-grid living
was health. To determine this we first must assume that off-grid people grow their own food and
raise their own livestock and do not regularly use pesticides and antibiotics. The University of
Arizona claims there is little to no benefit of eating organic food vs. conventional store bought
food, despite organic food being 30% less likely to have contaminates from pesticides, etc. This
study was only done in regards to vegetables. According to their research, there is no nutritional
difference at all between organically grown and conventionally grown vegetables (Misner). It
also claims that, according to studies, there is no taste or quality difference between organic and
conventional foods; this still seems debatable.
Despite this study, GMOs are still a major concern amongst American society today. The
Institute of Responsible Technology has an article on their website titled 65 Health Risks of GM
Foods which extensively details the process and results of eating GM foods, tested on rats and
other animals, many of them farm animals. This research sheds a light on the effects these GMOs
could have on humans and could very potentially have on the livestock on farm (Smith). Because
of their research, and the contradictions made by the University of Arizona, it is confusing to
understand which types of foods are healthier. Chalking this up to a lack of extensive research,
the concern of health will be geared toward other health concerns and benefits. One example is
air quality; one cannot argue that a person living in an average sized city would have poorer air
quality than a person living on a homestead. Another health concern, one may not immediately
associate with off-grid living, is obesity. Looking at our family units, all of these individuals
would have jobs and responsibilities on a day to day basis that help provide for themselves and
others. Many of these tasks are labor intensive and could even require two or more people.
Traditional on-grid people do not have the responsibility of providing their own food and

resources and many even employ companies to do their basic tasks for them. Because of this, ongrid people are much more dependent, sedentary, and under active. These qualities can lead to
obesity related illnesses and death.
Overall, living off-grid proves to be slightly more beneficial than on-grid living.
Financially, it is very cost effective overall, but start up costs are higher than one could normally
pay out of pocket for. Based on preparedness for disaster situations, off-grid homesteaders are
more aware, stocked, and self sufficient than traditional on-grid people, but when it comes to
short term survival, both would assumingly thrive. Health wise, on-grid living introduces people
to an array of genetically modified foods, pollutions, and other health risks that can contribute to
a shorter lifespan and poorer health. Off-grid families have a better chance of being fit, having
better overall health, and avoiding certain diseases and illnesses. Despite all the evidence, there
is much more to be compared and analyzed to properly determine whether there are significant
benefits to living an off-grid lifestyle. While I deemed all of my sourced credible, some
presented their cases weaker than others and force some contemplation about their findings.
While I trust the research done by the University of Arizona, I think it is impossible to argue that
when two tomatoes are put in front of you, one that was bought from a grocery store and one
picked off the vine in your yard, that the one from your yard is the healthier option. Many other
sources, especially from the Prepping community, were especially trustworthy because of the
shear level of crazy behind some of these people preparations and homesteads. It is hard to argue
with a man who built an underground bunker in the woods, stocked it with food and an armory,
and taught his family an escape plan to get there. Overall, all the people, businesses, and
organizations used to develop my knowledge to support the question were insightful and led me
to a solid conclusion.

Although I came to a final answer, this question will arise everyday in the form of
different situations and problems from living sustainably. With the research backing my answer, I
feel comfortable in knowing my decision to move off-grid and begin a homestead is a wise
decision for myself and my familys future. In regards to my community, those who know me
well are aware of my aspirations and show growing interest as I relay to them more and more of
what I find in my research. In the fall, when I attend Appalachian State University and move to
the mountains, I hope to fulfill my goal of living off-grid and invite my community to take part
in sustainable education and what being off-grid has to offer. This research question will be one I
re-ask and re-answer throughout a lifetime of personal experience, but I know for a fact, the
answer will always be yes.

Works Cited
Misner, Scottie, and Traci Armstrong Florian. "Organically Grown Foods Versus NonOrganically Grown Foods." University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 1603
(2013): 1-2. Print.

Smith, Jeffrey M. "Part 1: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered

Foods." Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.
Fairfield, IA: Yes!, 2007. N. pag. Print.

The Survival Food Pyramid." Survival Cache. Forge Survival Supply, n.d. Web. 01 Apr.
2015.

US Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.
<http://energy.gov/savings/residential-renewable-energy-tax-credit>.

US. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Home | Ready.gov. N.p., 2 Sept. 2014.
Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ready.gov/>.

Wholesale Solar. Off-Grid Solar System Calculator. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-information/start-here/offgrid-calculator>.