We’ve got been residing off-grid for over 35 years and have been concerned in designing and constructing sustainable houses and communities for a lot of that point. We’re decided to cross on data and classes discovered. It has been a significant life objective to advertise the usage of photo voltaic power and different sustainable practices. It’s gratifying to see all of the advances, however there actually had been occasions once we puzzled if photo voltaic was ever going to develop, because the resistance from the fossil gas business is/was so very highly effective and influential.
In a Sahuaro Forest
We moved to this property, an previous mining declare surrounded by Sahuaro Nationwide Park in Arizona, in 1988. The closest neighbor and energy had been virtually two miles away. We had been designing and constructing passive photo voltaic houses for a while, and this was our likelihood, lastly, to dwell off the grid. It has been an exquisite expertise, and we have now discovered many issues, refined many ideas, and had nice enjoyable imagining ‘what ifs…’ All through these 35 years, we have now witnessed data, strategies, gear, and techniques steadily enhance.
Our home was on the quilt of Photo voltaic Right this moment journal, Sept/Oct 1996. We’ve got come a good distance since that point. It’s helpful to have a look at how issues have modified and the best way to advance sustainable practices as time goes on.
Gale, Richard, and Mathew Marsland featured on the 1996 Sept/Oct cowl of Photo voltaic Right this moment journal.
Why Do Off-Grid
On the time we constructed our dwelling, there have been many causes to tackle the problem of designing and constructing an off-grid dwelling. We:
- Believed in local weather change and wished to contribute in each means attainable.
- Thought-about ourselves to be innovators, downside solvers, and appreciated high-tech trendy stuff.
- Needed to entry the extremely ample photo voltaic useful resource the place we lived.
- Believed in having a small footprint and discovering extra methods to do this
- Needed to be unbiased from monopolies and establishments.
- Knew that life cycle prices might be much less, over 30 years x $166/month = $60K.
- Needed fewer neighbors and to be surrounded by the pure surroundings.
- Nonetheless maintain these values as paramount.
Electrical energy Provide was the Preliminary Principal Driver
Resulting from excessive prices and limits of know-how in 1988, of utmost significance to us was to give attention to lowering electrical energy wants as a lot as attainable. Though methods differ in several climates, some features stay the identical and have comparable options. We selected to function a number of techniques with propane: backup scorching water heating, scorching tub, dryer, and
area heating.
Vitality Environment friendly Elements
Constructing effectivity into the design of the house, we used the perfect obtainable insulation for partitions and roof, and high-quality home windows and doorways. We initially used the curliecue fluorescent bulbs, however now we have now changed them with LED bulbs, which use solely 10% of the unique incandescent bulbs’ wattage. When shopping for home equipment, we selected essentially the most energy-efficient obtainable. The Vitality Star web site was very useful. Initially, we used a propane fridge, then a super-efficient DC fridge that turned obtainable later. Now we use the available high-energy effectivity fridge
and home equipment.
Passive Photo voltaic for Heating
On this sunny local weather, we’re capable of do 90% of our heating with passive photo voltaic. We’ve got a wooden hearth and a small propane heater for cloudy days. We will additionally use the mini-splits for backup heating. Passive photo voltaic parts haven’t modified a lot and work to a level in lots of climates.
The lounge is the thermal mass and has south-facing home windows. © Gale Marsland
Our home has giant, true south-facing home windows. They permit the solar in the whole width of the home within the winter and barely are available in even a foot in the summertime as a result of solar’s excessive angle within the sky. Exterior shutters permit us to manage the quantity of solar coming in, which is especially useful within the spring and fall. In addition they restrict warmth loss at evening in cool climate, with an added bonus of privateness and safety enhancement.
The Marslands’ repurposed the cool tower into an exquisite remark deck. © Gale Marsland
My husband comes from a household of masons, so it was pure to make use of excessive mass ideas. The outside partitions and most inside partitions are block, and the flooring on the primary flooring are brick. All of this mass shops coolth/heat and retains temperatures from fluctuating rapidly. The outside partitions are 20” thick with a split-face block on the surface, which blends in with the pure surroundings. There are 2 inches of isocyanurate foam plus a 2 inch air hole in between, accomplished by a stable grouted concrete block wall on the inside. We acquired the mass, the insulation, and a no-care exterior. A couple of third of the partitions are buried underground 3-4 ft, which additional supplies insulation and phone with much more mass.
Tackling the Largest Vitality Consumer – Cooling
Summer time cooling was our greatest problem. Due to low humidity, we had been in a position to make use of evaporative cooling and didn’t require air-con. Invoice Cunningham on the Environmental Analysis Lab in Tucson helped us deal with cooling whereas maximizing photo voltaic power use. A part of our resolution was a cooling tower initially developed a thousand years in the past within the Center East, generally known as a malquaf.
Invoice designed a 35’ tall, 10’x10’ tower, with thick evaporative cooler pads on all 4 sides on the high. Water dribbled from the highest down right into a gutter after which recirculated. It solely used about 50 watts to pump the water! The water coming by means of the tower cooled the air and, being heavier, dropped passively into the home. Cupolas on the roof vented hotter air out. This resulted in extremely low energy wanted for cooling a 2000 sq. foot space. Nonetheless, it used a whole lot of water, about 3-400 gallons a day. With a dry nicely, we needed to haul water. The cool tower additionally generally leaked and stained the ceiling.
Later, we switched to a high-efficiency photo voltaic chill evaporative cooler, additionally designed by Invoice, utilizing about 100 watts and solely 100 gallons a day, which was a giant enchancment. Just lately, we put in much more environment friendly AC mini-splits after including to our photo voltaic array and producing loads of electrical energy. The mini-splits use about 1000-1500 watts and ZERO water. Our consolation stage is drastically improved, and we will simply set a thermostat and stroll away.
The 2024 PV being mounted immediately on the roof. © Gale Marsland
Future Ahead: Extra Photovoltaic (PV)
Elements of Energetic Photo voltaic/PV have superior considerably and are rather more environment friendly. PV modules produce extra power per foot, and subsequently take up much less area. And costs are less expensive now, too! Our first photo voltaic panels had been $25/watt; those we most not too long ago bought had been solely $0.40/watt! Inverters are additionally now extra environment friendly. Our authentic inverters had been modified sine wave, and again then, even a number of of our electrical gadgets didn’t work nicely with that. Trendy sine wave inverters are basically like grid energy now. In addition they put out much more energy than the older ones: 1,500 W on the modified sine wave versus 12, on my latest one. The controllers and interfaces are smaller, extra environment friendly, and price much less, although not as less expensive as the intense discount of PV modules. We initially used passive trackers to maintain the PV 90 levels into the solar because it moved by means of the day to maximise output. Now, as a result of elevated effectivity and decreased value, our latest panels are stationary on our roof.
One other vital advance over time is that there are extra native companies putting in and sustaining photo voltaic techniques. Bigger nationwide firms are advertising DIY techniques and in addition supply tech help, together with Wi-Fi connections that allow technicians to entry your system and advise on set up and upkeep points. Once we upgraded, we took benefit of funding tax credit that, sadly, are ending on December 31, 2025. Some rebates and incentives will stay in some states and municipalities to assist cut back prices, however you must be in the precise state.
Present Challenges
Local weather change and excessive climate occasions are making the grid extra weak. Redundancy, duplication, numerous sources, and give attention to DISTRIBUTED technology are important. Our home has two parallel PV techniques, and every is backed up by a generator. We even have a switch swap in order that if one system has issues, the opposite can present energy for it.
A 2017 improve included including an automated battery watering system. © Gale Marsland
At present, the overwhelming majority of houses with PV haven’t any storage, back-up, or potential to make use of the facility they’re producing when the grid goes down! Most photo voltaic firms at the moment are putting in grid-tied techniques with no batteries. Regionally and anecdotally, there are only a few firms which might be taken with and even able to putting in battery backup techniques. There may be restricted entry to service, restore, preserve, or improve batteries. This is the reason so few individuals make this selection. The hope is that this market will develop and evolve in order that it is going to be extra like shopping for an equipment: convey it dwelling, and plug it in. It’s of important significance to develop the infrastructure for set up, service, and upkeep for these full techniques.
The photo voltaic group (researchers, tech builders, producers, distributors, installers, group leaders, and organizations like ASES) must strengthen and construct connections to tackle some main parts of the grid in range and redundancy. We have to develop affect and energy to compete with fossil gas pursuits. A objective could be to advertise distributed technology, the place the person has main advantages and photo voltaic progress is not only within the route of companies or utility firms.
Off-Grid Remorse
We’ve got just one remorse about being off the grid. Seasonally, our energy utilization modifications dramatically, as occurs in lots of climates. Our newest system was designed round summer time cooling wants. The opposite six months of the yr, our wants are thirty % much less. So, IF my system fed again into the grid, we might be CONTRIBUTING. However the price of bringing energy up here- the final time I checked in 2018 – was over $60,000. It doesn’t make sense to pay that plus a small month-to-month payment simply to feed the grid. As I write this in October 2025 at 11 am, 17K of my 18K PV feed is already shut off, and batteries are at 100%. What a waste….so our greatest selection could be grid-tied with battery backup, and GET IT ALL: independence, clear power, and contribution to the grid.
There are various sunny locations, like Tucson, the place you completely ought to put money into battery backup.
Concerning the Creator
Within the Eighties, Gale Marsland designed passive photo voltaic houses and partnered with a PV installer within the mid-90s doing largely off-grid. As time went on, she acquired extra concerned within the photo voltaic group and was a media spokesperson for ASES Buildings Division and on the Editorial Advisory Board for Photo voltaic Right this moment journal. In 2001, she drifted into planning, designing, and constructing sustainable communities.
