This post is inspired by a conversation I recently had on Reddit about why people outfit off grid cabins like suburban homes. It may seem counter intuitive to have things like high end and high tech kitchen appliances while living off grid, but the reasoning is sound. As someone who lived for years without a fridge, oven, dishwasher, washer or dryer, I know from experience!

What is considered “off grid”?

In order to explain why that fancy washing machine makes sense we have to define what makes a house or cabin off grid. There is a lot of misconception that being off grid means living without power in dry cabins. But according to the Oxford dictionary, being off grid is defined as “not using or depending on public utilities, especially the supply of electricity.” The most commonly mentioned utilities are power, water, and sewer. Sometimes garbage, phones and cable TV are mentioned as public utilities, though they aren’t always. Internet and cell phones are generally considered free-market services, as public utilities are heavily regulated by the government (local, state, or federal).

Power

Supplying your own power is a big part of living off grid. With as large or small of a system as wanted, and often comprised of a mix of wind, solar and generators. So why have a bunch of fancy appliances to use up that power? To start, alternative energy sources are getting cheaper every year. The solar set up (affiliate link) we spent $1200 on 6+ years ago is almost half that now. And new appliances are more energy efficient. They are even easy to compare with Energy Star ratings on most newer products. This is especially important when it comes to fridges, which can account for 7-14% of a households electricity use. Older fridges can use up to 4 times as much power as newer models. And the newer models use less electricity while still having a larger capacity too!

Water

Having lived the last 6+ years hauling my own water or collecting rain, water consumption is something I pay avid attention too. From checking our storage tanks before watering the garden, to monitoring gauges for “Navy showers“. Our shower head (affiliate link) even has an on/off switch so we don’t have to find the right temperature again. So it actually made perfect sense when we finally purchased a dishwasher last year. It uses 2.9-4 gallons of water per load, vs hand washing using up to 20 gallons. The same goes for washing machines. My small apartment style washing machine uses 15 gallons of water for a small load. Regular sized Energy Star washers can use as little as 14 gallons per load, while older models use up to 40 gallons.

Sewer

Okay this one really doesn’t need to be high end to be efficient, but I can explain why it is in some off grid homes. The toilet I see most often when off grid is a simple pit outhouse. They are fast to put in, last years with proper maintenance, and are dirt cheap. As to why someone might have fancier toilet facilities, some of the reasons go back to maintenance. Outhouses last longer if toilet paper and wipes are disposed of in the garbage, rather than the pit itself. It can be quite the challenge to get over that ick factor. And newer toilets have low flow options for liquid vs solid flushing.

Some types of toilets can even produce useful biproducts. Biogas units allow off grid folks to make use of a flushing toilet and the byproducts of that waste. Vermicomposting is another way to have a flushing toilet off grid with a useful end product of compost, along with dry composting toilets. Each method has its own pro’s and con’s, but my personal preference is the biogas unit. No more going outside to pee in negative temperatures, and I can use the gas for my propane appliances? Sign me up!

High Tech Time Savers

In addition to being energy and water efficient, or producing useful biproducts, those fancy appliances are time savers. Hand washing dishes or laundry for a family of four (or more!) takes a lot of time. This means who ever is doing those chores has less time to do the things they actually like doing, like hunting, fishing, or gardening. I find reading or playing with the children is a much better use of my time than refusing to use high tech/high end appliances for the sake of living that off grid aesthetic. I’ve already been called a poser for having water pressure, why not go all in 😉

And that’s the case for high tech appliances while off grid!  Questions or comments? Drop them below!