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Wow! That is quite a setup. I definitely see the vision. Thanks for breaking it down, step-by-step. I am feeling more confident about piecing this all together, the more I learn. I still have plenty to learn, but with all the available resources, including this site and folks like you, it's not...

I'll definitely be sharing (and looking for blessings) every step of the way! Thank you!

Hi Hardtop, I appreciate your thoughts and certainly respect your opinion. For perspective, allow me to share some details regarding a quote I received this week: - 40,000 watt Victron system. - 40,000 Watts to resistive loads - 32,000 Watts to inductive loads - 80,000 Watts for brief surges -...

I appreciate your input, RV8R, especially from a fellow Canadian (I moved from Toronto to Georgia in 2000). :) As you mentioned, you did not read the entire thread. I think your opinion would have possibly been different had you known: I will get 30% of the ~$75k investment back via federal...

No, that's a DIY job. I think I can tackle it with help from a friend of two. Worst-case scenario, I can always call on an electrician. The vendors are really good about providing support and the tech, as amazing as it is, isn't that hard to install.

Hey Gang, My builder is recommending that I skip the air tight fireplace and instead go with a boiler outside. I know almost nothing about them, so any and all guidance is appreciated! Ideally, it would be tied into our HVAC, hot water, and even a hot tub, if possible.

Thanks for the reality check on geothermal. I was beginning to see the writing on the wall when I couldn't find any installers in my area. Thx for pointing out the advances in air to air heat pumps, @sunshine_ego. Thanks everyone for your insights. It looks like I need to put the focus on...

The quote was actually for $73k, but didn't include solar mounts, PV Cable, and other (likely small dollar) items. I'm not done price shopping, but my point was that for around $20k over what I would have to pay the utility company, I can have a chance to vitually eliminate my energy costs well...

Still not working for me, even in incognito mode. Thanks for trying ThaiTaffy! I'll try again later.

We work from home and are flexible with EV usage, since we do have a combustion engine car as well. I don't know why September spiked so much - that was a head-scratcher. And yes, we have natural gas here in the city, so our overall energy consumption would have been much higher if we were...

Hi Matt, We are talking about Fall of 2025. Just to clarify.

It seems to me that, if my grid-dependent neighbors are using propane to heat water 100% of the time and to heat their homes ~4 months out of the year, I should still come out well ahead by only using propane to heat our home on the days that the sun doesn't shine enough. Even if that were four...

Those are some pretty scary numbers! But, if you take the interest rate down to 5% (I have to believe they will be coming down again at some point), that makes the loan repayment come out to $375/mo on the $70k. Also, if we further assume that inflation will take the $300/mo utility bill that I...

Thanks again for this excellent feedback! I guess one last question that is relevant to this thread is would you consider air-to-water heat pumps that can also help with heating the water in one's home?

I had heard that, but my understanding is that it's not an issue with an off-grid installation. Am I wrong?

Here is our usage over the past year. This includes using one electric car that we drive approx 50 miles per day, averaging around 33 kW-hr/100 miles;

Greetings All, This site is amazing and I am learning a ton. But I feel like I know enough to get my family into some potentially hot - or worse yet - cold (due to insufficient energy planning!) water. Here is our situation, as best I can describe it. Nothing is carved in stone, although we do...

Hey Gang, I am trying to figure out the best place to put my solar panels on our 10 acre lot. Is there a service where I can send a Google Earth kml file or similar and get some recommendations? Perhaps some solar panel vendors offer that advice on a pre-sale basis?

The cool kids are way cooler than me, that's for sure. My head is spinning right now, but when it stops I'll try to piece together something that works without building a bunker / command center next to our home that my wife might just turn into my 'dog house" if I get any of this wrong. lol I...

BTW, I didn't include the cost of a propane generator since I would be buying one regardless of my going off-grid or not. Just wanted to be clear!

Thanks. That site seems to be having issues when I go to register. I'll try again in a day or two.

I've learned about dual fuel heat pumps, but what about dual fuel hot water tanks? It seems to me that having both the hp and hot water tank being able to run on electric or propane would make January a lot easier to get through.

You bring up some good points Madcodger and SolarFlares. As we become empty nesters (~5 years), we plan to spend our winters in south FL. So not only will there not be anyone there to feed the wood boiler five years from now, there won't really be a need for heat above that which is needed to...

Thanks for that honest assessment. I am seeing a lot of folks that haven't quite been able to come to terms with the fact that their system isn't exactly the cat's meow. I want practical, for sure. Thank you!

Some great questions. The utility is not going to reduce the $30k+ charge since it's only to my house, which is going to be at the back of our lot. I don't yet know the total cost of the project. I just assumed that the payback would be somewhere around 10-15 years. I also assumed that going...

Also, Quattrohead, I believe that since my installation is going to be in a shed, separate from our house, that the Victron does not need to be UL certified.

I hadn't really considered air-to-water. Why did you decide on that path? As I search Viessmann on youtube, I only seem to find non-US installs. Air-to-water in general seems to be less talked about than air-to-air systems. My biggest fear would be getting into a technology that isn't widely...

Our lot is sloped. Does anyone have any insights they can share on setting up panels on a sloped lot? Do you recommend an off the shelf rack system, or is DIY the way to go?

Yes, the generator can be auto-started by the Victron also. Good point about being able to take the hot water tank offline. (y) At the end of the day, I buy propane and a generator to use both. I don't want to overuse them, but I'm not afraid to use a little more than I planed for / hoped...

Thanks Citkatonic, But I think that software is way too technical for me. I do like the idea of hiring a professional to do work (I can certainly help too), but how can I know if my lot is even a good candidate for solar? I just figured there would be software or a vendor who would be able to...

I would say the area where I am thinking of putting the panels slopes more west, but slightly south.

Greetings, We are building a 4,000 sq ft home on a 10 acre lot in the north GA mountains that will be totally off-grid. Solar and batteries and a propane-powered generator are pretty much determined (still working on details, including finding an installer/vendor), but we are less decided on...