You don’t get a monthly power utility bill when you live off grid in Maine.
Your lifestyle changes in a good way and it is a decision, self inflicted choice these days. In Daniel Boone’s era or when Martha and George Washington sat down for dinner at the White house with candle light, it was not.
Living off grid has many meanings, suggests many different images, designs on how to achieve it in a person’s head. Some folks gasp, flinch and are horrified to think of not just plugging in the curling iron, firing up the dryer to fluff up those towels.
Others think better for the earth, less carbon and new ways to save money and get pretty much the same results. Independence from their old habit of power consumption. Now way more aware of what it costs, how to get it cheapest. Wind generation is big in Maine. On large and small scale. I have sold Maine land to folks that wanted to be on a dead end road without power as they thought of this lack of juice as a plus. But knowing others would consider it a negative.
Less people around you means more space, less what did I do wrong now or have to stop in your opinion.
Not anti-social, just enjoying your own company and not wanting to bother anyone else. And vice versa.
Heating with wood since Maine is 91 percent forested is a given and requires no electricity.
Little gas for the chainsaw to cut the trees, yard them out or maybe for a wood splitter.
But there, got heat covered. Automatic heat like a gas wall unit makes it possible to zip down to visit family, shop out of town too.
Southern orientation to capture the sunlight and heat is like having lights turned on in every room courtesy of the sun. Smaller watt flourescents use little energy that can be collected with solar panels, generator charging batteries on dark days, water wheels in brooks or rivers if riparian rights exist. Or a little Whisper class, type wind generator.
Had a fellow that worked at the Houlton Maine post office who had several batteries in his car that charged on the way to and from work. In winter he could use the colder temperatures outside for food refrigeration. But told me in spring, summer, fall, he would stop at the market on the way home. Pick up whatever he needed for the family meal, combined with garden grown vegetables, fruits from the open land he cleared around his Maine log home.
Raising beef, critters that you name and expect to slaughter to put on the table is hard though.
Had two pigs growing up that Dad convinced the four boys that they were not the same ones we fed, chased around the barn and had been swapped.
We would never have knowingly munched on, ate a friend, pet. No matter how hungry.
More living off grid in Maine, anywhere resources if this lifestyle has you thinking about reducing overhead, living healthier, happier. Maine homesteading, living off the grid, being self sufficient is very doable. How do you think our earlier generations, relatives did it on the farm?
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
207.532.6573