By nDir 
With rising energy prices across the globe, never has it been more important that to look at alternative options for powering our homes and heating our water.
While the knowledge and technology has been available and accessible for some time now, the stumbling block has usually been around the storage of excess energy. The generation of power, usually through solar or wind power, is an established technology. Capturing it and redistributing it effectively is still a work in progress.
This does not need to hold back individuals who are keen to establish a new way of life that is not beholden to the larger energy companies, and desires to regain control over generation and management of their own power.
Creating an off grid home is becoming increasingly popular. In the UK alone there are over 25,000 homes who generate their own electricity. This means that they are no longer reliant on the national grid, and as a result are not beholden to the fluctuating energy prices that so many of us have struggled with over the last year.
Should I invest in a heat pump?
As part of its drive towards net zero, the government is keen for households to change to heat pumps. But are these heat pumps really that much more efficient?
In short, a heat pump captures existing heat from the environment and moves it into your home. Because it is not actually heating anything, it does not emit any carbon dioxide. Studies indicate that it is more energy efficient than more traditional combi boilers, however they are significantly more expensive, and initial reports indicate that the heat they generate can be ‘tepid’ at best.
An additional issue is that the units require quite a significant amount of external space for installation. While a large, detached house with plenty of garden can absorb this extra structure, it is obviously not suitable for small terraced houses with little or no garden.
Can I save money by going off grid?
Creating and environmentally friendly, ecologically sound living environment is not a cheap option. If, for example, you are looking at installing solar panels, you are looking at a starting cost of around £7000 to £8000. If you have a larger family, and a large property, then you will need more panels, which will come at a cost.
Add to this £10,000, which is the average cost of the installation of a heat pump, and the annual savings would need to be significant before you started to see any financial return on your investment.
Add the cost of a decent storage system
While generating energy is one aspect of going off grid, to be truly efficient you also need to find a way of storing that energy so that you can access it when needed. Investigating options about what to do when you generate excessive power, you can wither choose your own battery systems to store it individually in your own home, or incorporate the excess through a smart energy management which is connected to the national grid. This second option will give you greater flexibility in terms of having access to lower rate electricity as and when necessary – which would be a reassurance during more challenging times of bad weather.
We may still be in the infancy of moving towards net zero, and it is going to cost many individual households a significant amount of investment. However, like any technology, the more popular it becomes, the more the costs come down on a pro rata basis. We are working towards a time when energy will once again be affordable and sustainable.