Living without electricity

[News]

This is not really a serious question, but your thoughts will be interesting.

Vaguely house hunting, as you do, we came across a lovely 4 bed cottage, a mile away from the nearest small town. The house has private water and drainage, and no other services. No road between the house and town. No gas, electricity or phone. It is lived in (not a holiday home), current occupants use stoves, fires, bottled gas lamps, paraffin lamps etc. Keep in mind no road, so no bulk deliveries of Calor gas or oil. Sounds idyllic in one way, but a nightmare in another. Huge plot, right on the coast. Isle of Mull.

How would you generate electricity, if you lived there, full time? Or would you not bother?

[Bod]

[polygonum]

What's the broadband like?

[Peter Crosland]

In the 21st century I would forget it unless there is convenient suitable stream close by to generate by.

[News]

How would you know, without electricity? :-)

The honest answer is no idea. OK in the town a mile away, apparently.

[charles]

That might be the proper place for a wind generator and/or solar panels.

[polygonum]

I'd find it incredibly difficult to live without at least reasonable internet access these days. Even if I had to charge up a mobile phone with a hand-cranked device and use a Pringles aerial!

On the electric side, so long as the computer/internet side was sorted, the things that I'd find difficult to do without are lighting (though LEDs have reduced the absolute electricity requirement), tools and equipment such as sewing machines, and vacuum cleaner. I think the usage could be quite low but I'd certainly want some.

I assume gas refrigerators are available? But probably not freezers.

[Bod]

Drums/mirrors & smoke signals?

[spuorgelgoog]

I would get some static bicycles with dynamos and lots of unemployed people to pedal them.

As an rural employment initiative in the renewables sector there should be oodles of grant funding available.

The alternative, running a mile of SWA over drystane dykes and the machair, will probably upset Scottish National Hedgehogmurderers.

Owain

[bert]

• Diesel generator with auto start/stop

[Bill]

In message , News writes

It certainly sounds idyllic. Especially from my point of view and radio interference!

But, how far away is the nearest electricity supply? A friend of mine did a deal with his supplier whereby he dug a trench to their spec, they provided the cable, which he buried, they then connected up at each end. This only cost him the price of the trench and his labour. It would depend of course on who owned the land in between and if it was possible to dig. Possibly not as easy to erect ones own poles.

[Roger Chapman]

Since it is on the coast supply by sea should be an option so ship in a start-on-demand diesel generator and fuel in 45 gallon drums. A tractor on site would be a distinct advantage as a full 45 gallon drum is rather more than one man can comfortably manhandle. Such a location probably warrants a tractor to cultivate the land anyway.

[The Natural Philosopher]

genny basically.

plus battery bank and inverters.

BUT a mile away. hmm cost about 40 grand to pout a cable in i'd say.

and would add to property value.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not in winter. Useless.

[tony sayer]

Noooo!, He wants Pylons!, bloody great massive things there're all the rage in parts of Scotland;!..

Or more cause a rage;(...

[Java Jive]

Seriously? I'm the other side and a bit further north and the sun shone today for about two minutes.

With just panels, might be using it rather a lot I think ...

You need to chuck everything at it. See the Eig installation and adapt what you can at a smaller scale: Small turbine + PV + batteries + diesel backup. And if there's a local burn you can dam to create a headwater for something like a pelton wheel or conventional water wheel, that might be worth investigating.

Keep some paraffin lamps and/or candles handy. Make sure you can get logs to burn cheaply and easily. Buy lots of warm clothing.

[Bill]

In message , bert writes

Being pedantic, why "auto start/stop"? There is no other supply. Certainly remote start/stop would be good, so that you didn't need to leave the house to control it. Bearing in mind that generators can run off red diesel it could be a cheapish first move.

[dom]

I'd budget to build a road of some sorts, even if it's just planings.

How does the tanker get through to deliver heating oil? Or are you continuously hauling gas bottles? Septic tank? How does it get pumped out?

Can a 4WD reasonably get through 24/7 all year round? What happens in a medical emergency? Or a house fire?

What might sound like fun a for a few weeks, is less so when things go wrong in Winter.

[charles]

you'd need wind power, too

[newshound]

Windmill plus batteries and generator on red diesel.