There is growing interest in off-grid living for a variety of reasons. For some it is a way of being more self-sufficient. Others see it as a way of being more environmentally friendly. Some people want to escape from some of the shackles of the capitalist system and disappear off the electoral roll, and avoid paying Council Tax or a mortgage. In the Uk there are thousands of people living "off-grid", in low impact dwellings, benders, caravans, tipis, canal boats, and camper vans, usually out of site and out of mind, doing their own thing.

For some it is a moral choice, for others a financial one, for others a question of preparing for a survival in a post-oil society. In some cases, going off-grid is a solitary choice for them or their family, for others, going off-grid is a community choice like the settlements at Tinker's Bubble in Somerset or Scoraig in Scotland. Some people have spent a fortune on complex micro generation systems for their home, others have gone off-grid for next to nothing, virtually living of the land and their own food and fuel production. It has been estimated that there are 25,000 households living completely off-grid in the UK, and a similar number partially off-grid. Living off-grid may be defined as not being connected to mains supplies of either electricity, water, or gas, or a combination of these. Many people living off-grid generate their power from renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, and do so out of  desire to live a greener lifestyle. For others, the use of a generator is just a practical response to living in a remote area.

Tinker' Bubble, in Somerset

If you are thinking of going off-grid yourself, there is a wealth of information around. It helps if you are equipped with the skills to fix things for yourself, and be self-reliant. Some knowledge of using solar panels or wind-turbines would be an advantage. One of the most accessible introductions to the subject is the recently published "How to live off-grid" by Nick Rosen, which relates a journey he made around Britain in a van, visiting numerous individuals and communities living the good life.

Further Reading:

If you want to research the subject more thorougly, some of the following are recommended:

"The renewable energy handbook", William Kemp, Aztext Press, 2005

"Better Off- Flipping the Switch on Technology" by Eric Brende, Harper Collins, 2005

"The Green Building Bible" Green Building Press, 2005

"Yurts, Tipis and Benders" by David Pearson, Gaia Books, 2005

"All about self-build" by Robert Matthews, Blackberry Books, 2002

"Food For Free" by Richard Mabey, Collins, 2001

"How to be free", by Tom Hodgkinson, Penguin, 2006

"The 21st Century Smallholder", Paul Waddington, Eden Books, 2006

"Decentralisising Power" Greenpeace, 2005

"Green Living in the Urban Jungle" by Lucy Siegle, Green Books, 2001

"In Praise of Slow" Carl Honore, Orion, 2004

"Low impact development: planning and people in a sustainable countryside" by Simon Fairlie, published by Jon Carpenter publishing, 1996

"The outdoor survival handbook: a guide to the resources and materials available in the wild, and how to use them for food, shelter, warmth and navigation" by Ray Mears, St. Martin's Press, 1993

"SAS Survival Guide" John Wiseman, Collins Gem, 2004

"The Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins, Green Books, 2008