Off-Grid at GreenMountainSolar.com

Welcome to Green Mountain Solar. My name is Chris Niner. I live in southern New Mexico. I disconnected from the power lines in june of 1997 when I bought an old Airstream trailer and 5 acres of mountain property. It was a real struggle. I thought I knew how to do it all.. Well, it wasn't quite as easy as reading about it. I have figured most of it out now however.

All of my electrical needs are met with solar and wind energy. What little additional heating I require is by burning firewood I got by thinning the sick, overgrown trees on my property. Nothing is wired in from a coal plant in Utah, nuclear fission in Arizona or a terrorist state in the middle east. Where is Your money going?

All of my water is caught off the roof. I have a water collection system that has evolved into something large enough to supply me with all of My water. It was far cheaper than a well and a whole lot more fun that hauling it in!

My home water and power use is about 1/10th as much as the average careless person living on the power grid. The secret to going off grid is efficiency. You don't have to be off the power lines to save a huge amount of electricity and water, in fact it is far easier.

I wanted to show that it is possible to do this, even on a modest salary and mostly working alone. This part of the country has some of the best solar and wind potential anywhere on earth. If you live in the mountains, It also has some of the highest electric rates. It is also subject to blackouts from power overloads, distant weather or dead spotted owl trees hitting the lines. Still, convincing people is like pulling teeth.

As for water, I don't need to tell You how important that is. We are running out and the 'throw more money at it' aproach to a sollution is great for the politicians and contractors getting the money, but it's our money!

It's time we straightened out our act.

Even if You have no intention of going off grid, using these ideas can cut your electric bill by 2/3rds and save a lot of water. Thanks for visiting My site. I will keep working to improve it and also to answer questions. I welcome Your comments.

http://www.greenmountainsolar.com/