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‘Off Grid¹’ Living No Longer Means Far Away from Others

"Off-grid" or "off-the-grid" is a term for living away from public power and water supplies.

In the past, that often meant trying to survive or live on land far away from others. Some old television programs made that kind of life look fun to some people. Today, however, only a very small number of people who live "off-grid" do that. In fact, many live less than an hour from any town.

Gary Collins has mostly lived "off-grid" for the last 10 years. He has written books about it and leads classes on the internet.

Collins told The Associated Press: "Living off-grid doesn't mean you don't buy your groceries at a store or take your waste to the local dump. It just means you are not connected to utility grids²."

Utility grid describes the network that produces and supplies electricity, energy and water to people in a large area.

Collins estimates that only 1 percent of those living off-grid live far away from people and supplies. Overall, the off-grid population is very small.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people from the city started to think about changing their way of life and living in distant areas. These days, the move is easier because of gains in renewable power and energy storage.

Sheri Koones also writes about off-grid living. Her book is called Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid.

"There's a lot more interest in living off the grid now because energy is costing so much and there are so many problems with grids," Koones said.

She mentioned that some people are connected to the grid but try to power their homes with solar panels³. When the sun produces more power than they can use, people send it to the power company in return for a small payment.

Off-grid living

Today, off-grid living comes in many forms.

One example is called "dry camping" in large vehicles with room for sleeping. These recreational vehicles, or RVs, do not have connections to electricity or water. Others live off-grid in costly⁴ homes in California cities like Santa Barbara. And some live in small cabins far away from other people.

Jon Bang works for Anacapa Architecture which builds off-grid homes in Santa Barbara and in Portland, Oregon. He said more people are interested in off-grid living in the last two years. "There's a desire to get more in tune⁵ with nature," Bang said.

The Anacapa homes are costly to build. They use new technology to take the sun's energy, store power in batteries and use very little water for bathing or treating human waste. The materials need to be transported far away from usual home building areas. Some are built into the sides of hills with tops that can be used to grow food.

Bang says for people with money, off-grid living means "a quieter kind of life, grounded in nature without neighbors nearby."

For those who do not have much money, Collins warns off-grid life may not be easy. "If you learned everything you know on YouTube, you are never going to survive."

Collins said growing up poor in a rural part of the U.S. helped him succeed at living off-grid today. He knows how to hunt, grow some of his own food and get water from a well.

He said people who want to live far away from others must be prepared to do some work. "Your wood won't cut itself. You'll have to haul⁶ water," Collins said.

He also warned that living off-grid means being far away from help in case of a medical emergency. "People die off-grid all the time," he said, because of accidents from activities like cutting wood.

Collins noted⁷ that life off-grid may not be as good for the environment as people think. People use a lot of fuel driving a truck or running a gas-powered generator⁸.

But, experts say, modern technology makes off-grid living easier for people who do not want to read books by candlelight or haul water from a well like those who did it hundreds of years ago.

Words in This Story

grocery– n. a food store

dump– n. a place where waste is taken and left

solar panel– n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity

camp– v. to live outside and away from home in a place usually far away from cities, sometimes using a moveable shelter called a tent

cabin– n. a small house or living space

in tune– phrase a state in which two things are in harmony or agree with each other

haul– v. to carry something heavy

generator– n. something, usually an engine, that runs on gas and crates power

1 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

2 grids   

n.格子( grid的名词复数 )；地图上的坐标方格；（输电线路、天然气管道等的）系统网络；（汽车比赛）赛车起跑线

参考例句：

• Typical framed structures are beams, grids, plane and space frames or trusses. 典型构架结构为梁、格栅、平面的和空间的框架或桁架。 来自辞典例句
• The machines deliver trimmed grids for use or stock. 这种机器铸出修整过的板栅，以供使用或储存。 来自辞典例句

3 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

6 haul   

vt./n.（用力）拖，拉，（用车等）拖运，运送

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• The rope stood up under the strain of the haul.这绳子经受不住紧拉。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。