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Today, many people are pursuing the off grid lifestyle for a myriad of different reasons. For some, the money saving benefits are most appealing, while others simply wish to have energy security in the event of a power outage. Either way, both of these advantages are part of an off grid lifestyle.

However, the reality is that most homes are not designed to operate well off grid, so it’s a wise idea to do things in a stepwise fashion. That way you can make changes on a budget and without the need of investing a lot of money all at once.

As a result, the best place to begin is with the changes that will have the biggest impact on your finances and energy security, which are typically heating and cooling. Combined they are the biggest energy cost for the average household, accounting for a large proportion of the annual energy bill.

Where to Start? Home Efficiency First

Prior to thinking about what heating systems would be best suited for your home, it’s extremely worthwhile to consider the steps you can take to improve your home’s efficiency. This will do two things: help you to reduce your energy usage and make the most of the energy you do use.

The best part about this process is that it’s extremely affordable and requires very simple materials. For instance, it means inspecting your home for drafts, making improvements to your home’s insulation, and installing a thermostat where possible.

Draught-proofing, or draft-proofing, is the best place to start. Drafts are cold currents of air that can cause considerable heat loss and cold pockets within the home. They regularly come from the gaps around doors and windows, as well as venting and the holes commonly found around pipework.

You can easily draft-proof your home as a DIY project; simply go around your home looking and feeling for drafts and then do what is required to patch them up. For example, if you find drafts around your windows and doors you can install excluders and strips, which can be sourced very cheaply from all good hardware stores and online.

Insulation is also extremely useful at limiting heat loss in your home, as it ensures heat is kept in your home for as long as possible before it is lost to the external environment. The roof is the biggest culprit, with a staggering quarter of all heat generated lost through the roof, so it should certainly be prioritized.

To do this you can use rolls of fiberglass and other insulation materials that you simply lay down in the attic. Another key place to insulate in your home includes water pipes, since un-insulated pipes can result in you having to use your water heater more often. To do this you can very easily wrap foam around the pipes that snap into position for a secure fit.

Best Types of Off Grid Heating Methods

Once you have improved the energy efficiency of your home you can begin thinking about the best types of off grid heating systems. There are a variety of options available, each with various pros and cons. These include wood burning stoves, active solar heating, propane gas, and other carbon based fuels such as gasoline, coal, oil and diesel.

The type of heating solution that is right for you will depend on a wide variety of factors; these include your local climate, heating requirements, access to fuel, and size of your property.

Ideally, you should have more than one option available, that way you will always have a backup heat source and won’t ever have to rely on a single source of fuel. With that in mind, here are some of the best types of heat sources for off grid living.

Wood Burning Stoves

Firewood is relatively easy to access throughout the country and the cost per cord can be very good in comparison to other types of fuel. If you have enough land, you can potentially harvest and re-plant your trees on an annual basis.

Wood is also a great fuel source since you can harvest it and store it yourself, potentially giving you access to a 12 month fuel supply on your own property. That’s certainly a lot of fuel security.

The best types of wood to burn for heating purposes are the dark woods, such as oak and elk. These are very dense woods that will provide a longer and more consistent burn, whereas as soft woods such as pine will burn quickly and unevenly.

Common wood burning appliances that are ideal for off-grid living include the likes of wood burning stoves, furnaces, and fireplaces. In particular, wood burning stoves remain popular for off grid living as they require no electricity, can provide that homely aesthetic, and are able to generate a good amount of heat. They are also relatively cheap to buy and install.

Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages to stoves, namely that they need to be cleaned and maintained as ash and creosote deposits gradually build up within them. They also require a certain clearance area, so may not be suitable for very small homes and unlike other heating appliances they also need a good amount of supervision.

For example, you can’t just leave the house if your stove is burning and you will need to regularly feed more wood into the burn pot to maintain the heat. Still stoves can provide a good amount of nice, dry heat and are certainly reliable.

Propane Heaters

Propane is a gas fuel obtained through the processing of crude oil, along with kerosene, gasoline, and diesel oil. It’s particularly useful as an off-grid fuel since it’s so versatile and can be used for a wide variety of different appliances including propane space heaters, generators, and cookers. Most propane heating appliances also have thermostats, which are certainly useful as it means you can control the amount of energy you use and when.

Another major advantage of propane is that it is extremely energy efficient, which means you can acquire a lot of energy for the amount of gas burned and it is also considered a “clean fuel” in the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

Propane is also a great fuel as it doesn’t degrade at the same rate as other common off-grid fuels like gasoline and firewood. As a result, this fuel is a great choice for long term storage, which is ideal in a SHTF scenario.

Unfortunately, there are a few disadvantages to propane fuel, mainly safety concerns. For example, pressurized propane tanks can be quite hazardous if not handled or stored correctly, particularly if stored in large quantities.

In addition, the cost of propane can vary widely depending on which part of the country you are located in, and propane appliances can be quite difficult to repair, often requiring a high level of knowledge and/or training to handle.

Active Solar Heat

Solar powered heating is another good heating option for off grid living, but it must be said that it is only really viable for those that get substantial amounts of daylight hours. Therefore, it shouldn’t be entirely relied upon by those that live more north of the equator, where availability of sunlight is going to be limited.

Still for some it can be a superb option for warming the home. Active solar heat is one such method and involves the use of copper painted pipes filled with water. Essentially, this set-up is placed in a location of the home that gets a good amount of sun exposure. The thermal energy from the sun will then be absorbed by the water, becoming warm and in turn will flow to wherever the pipework is installed.

This system is not passive, as a pump is required to control the flow of water, hence why it is called active solar heat. It works much like a conventional water heating system, except instead of a gas or electrical water heater; the suns natural rays are used.

The downside to this system is that it requires substantial amount of daylight hours to be viable and is an active system so requires some power to keep the pump running.

Biomass Systems

This set-up is a little more complicated that the ones mentioned so far and the results can be incredibly variable depending on the amount of biomass you have access to. Still, biomass is a great way to make the most from your waste.

Much like a compost heap, this process involves collecting all materials that will naturally be degraded by microorganisms, e.g. leaves, manure, wood chips, compost, corn, and grains and placing them in a single location. However, you will also strategically install multiple coils of pipe inside the compost bin, which will absorb heat that is released during the biodegradation process. This can then be used to heat water or even be fed into a greenhouse to help maintain its temperature. Again, this certainly won’t heat your entire home, but it can provide some use.

While there are plenty of methods for heating your home off grid, hopefully this gives you some ideas. A combination of one or more of these along with ensuring you’ve maximized your home’s efficiency will go a long way toward reducing heating costs.

This article first appeared on offgridworld.com Check it out here