The term off the grid refers to a method of construction that relies on renewable energy sources rather than traditional public utility sources provided by the utility "grid." In such construction, the home or building constructed does not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, gas, electrical or similar utility services. A true "off the grid" house is able to operate completely independent of traditional of public utility services. Renewable energy (sources) or RES capture their energy from existing flows of energy, from on-going natural processes, such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes, and geothermal heat flows. ... A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. ... A municipal water system is a large system of reservoirs and large-scale piping which supplies fresh water, suitable for human consumption, to houses and other residences. ... Sewers transport wastewater from buildings to treatment facilities. ... A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. ...

Primary infrastructure considerations for off the grid construction:

• Fresh water source
• Energy source
• Waste disposal

Fresh Water Considerations

A conservative estimate of the water needs of a family of four is 150 to 300 gallons per day. The water capacity required depends on the following factors:

Everday Needs: drinking, cooking, bathing, toilets and appliances such as diswashers and automatic washing machines.

Seasonal Uses: watering of a lawn or garden, car washing, swimming pools and hot tubs.

Specialized Uses: animal watering, crop irrigation and water treatment devices that require backwashing.

Fire Protection

Heating and Cooling: some geothermal power systems utilized water at below ground temperatures for cooling and heating needs. Geothermal power is electricity generated by utilizing naturally occurring geological heat sources. ...

Fresh Water Sources

• Well water is drawn from below the surface of the earth by means of a pump through a water well.

• Rainwater harvesting is a method of collecting and storing rainwater primarily for non-potable uses but can also be utitilzed to collect and store potable water.

• Desalination refers to any of several processes that remove the excess salt and other minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water. This method is generally utilized only in coastal areas with access to an ocean or sea.

Well water is drawn via mechanical pump from a source below the surface of the earth. ... Manual pump used to obtain water A pump is a mechanical device used to move liquids or gases. ... A water well is an artificial excavation or structure put down by any method such as digging, boring or drilling for the purposes of withdrawing water from underground aquifers. ... Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or a surface catchment for future productive use. ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ... Desalination or desalinization refers to any of several processes that remove the excess salt and other minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water suitable for animal consumption or irrigation, and if almost all of the salt is removed, for human consumption, sometimes producing table salt as a by... A magnified crystal of salt In chemistry, salt is a term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Water (from the Old English word waeter; c. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Ocean (from Okeanos, Greek for river, the ancient Greeks noticed that a strong current flowed off Gibraltar, and assumed it was a great river); covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the... Sunset at sea Look up Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Alternative Energy Sources

• Solar Power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the Sun.
• Wind Power is the kinetic energy of wind, or the extraction of this energy by wind turbines.
• Geothermal Power is electricity generated by utilizing naturally occurring geological heat sources.

Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. ... For other uses, see Sun (disambiguation). ... Wind farm on South Point, Big Island of Hawaii Wind power refers to useful energy extracted from wind. ... Kinetic energy is energy that a body has as a result of its speed or energy of motion. ... Wind is the roughly horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by uneven heating of the Earths surface. ... A tall tower holds a wind turbine aloft where winds are consistently stronger. ... Geothermal power is electricity generated by utilizing naturally occurring geological heat sources. ... For songs called Electricity, see Electricity (song title). ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ...

Waste Disposal

• Septic system consists of a buried concrete septic tank, that holds the solid waste from a home's plumbing waste drains, and a septic drain field, that distributes the waste water to the ground where it disperses through the soil or evaporates.
• A Composting Toilet uses biological processes to deal with the disposal and processing of human excrement into organic compost material.