House warming takes on a whole new meaning when you’re living off the grid. If your survival goals involve being self-reliant, chances are you might need a way to avoid the season’s cold weather while sticking to your goals.

Or maybe mother nature has decided that she’s in charge, so you have no option but to live off the grid. Either way, you can stay warm.

Heat Sources

There’s more than one way to heat your home without using electricity, and the method you choose will depend on your personal preferences. “The two most common ways to heat an off-grid house are using a wood stove or using one or more propane-fired space heaters with through-the-wall venting,” says Martin Halladay of Green Building Advisor, who has lived off the grid for 35 years.

If you choose to go the wood stove route, make sure you carefully estimate the amount of firewood you’ll need to make it through the winter. Ideally, Halladay says, you’ll stockpile a winter’s worth of firewood before October 1.

In addition, you can add warmth to your house by ensuring that the sun’s rays can fully reach it. “Passive solar heat is a great place to start,” says Claudia J. King of Smart Solutions, Inc., which offers high-performance energy efficient products. “Do whatever you can to allow for the sun energy to heat mass.

That can include something as simple as trimming trees.” King recommends that you evaluate your entire “Thermal Envelope,” which includes walls, windows, ceiling and floor. “Good use of passive solar thermal can reduce heating loads by large numbers,” she says. “The better the performance of the thermal envelope, the longer and more comfortable the home will be in difficult times. It is static and non-mechanical, and the single most important part in maintaining efficiency and comfort at the least cost or work.”

Have A Back-up Plan

When you’re living off the grid, you need a back-up plan for power. “Resorting to a generator in winter is typical—not unusual,” says Martin Halladay of Green Building Advisor. “In most parts of North America, there are many fewer hours of sunlight during the winter, while electrical needs increase.” If you have a back-up generator that you intend to hook into or back-feed your power system, know how to connect it and use it safely, says Claudia J. King of Smart Solutions, Inc.

She also recommends that if it’s your first winter using the generator, use it sparingly as needed, reserving your fuel. Monitor your fuel use so you can plan accordingly for future fuel storage next winter, she adds.

Active Solar Systems

To warm your house, you may want to delve deeper into the solar option.

In addition to absorbing the sun’s rays through passive placement, you may also consider solar energy that involves carefully placed panels. “An active solar system (like solar hot water) correctly tied into a primary looped hydronic system is really an excellent way to go … Read the rest

The post Best Way To Heat A House Without Electricity Or Gas appeared first on Into The Jungle.

from Into The Jungle https://www.intothejungle.org/best-way-heat-house-without-electricity-gas/
via IntoTheJungle on Weebly