Hi, Beth
Nice to meet you.
Looking forward to reading your opinions, stories and advice.

Hello and Welcome,
I come to Ottawa about every 3-4 months, so I would love to drop by and say Hi 🙂

thanks guys or gals, not sure, all have to spy on you :), lol. I think I'm less time in Ottawa, unless forced to visit the big city, all stay in the forest.

Hi Beth! I too am excited to hear what you have to share - particularly about going off grid. Somehow it seems we have less options that the Americans do about going off grid - or maybe that's just my impression.

Hi anita. I think we have the same options as the USA. Eastern Ontario gets just as much light as the Northern USA, here wind in the winter would be good for wind power. Also in winter we get great passive solar gain, with our sunny winter and snow cover to reflect light. We are moving out of a 1408 sq ft house to a 20x20 cabin this fall. So the plan is to be dept free and build up a off grid system. Both Hubby and I are NOT very knowledgeable on all that, but we know lots of people around here that have been off grid all there whole life's. Most just have a solar panel or two wood heat. and then there are the people with money and have wind, solar the whole shooting match off of grid living. And the ones that have bought into the Ontario solar system were you are connected your solar system to there system, big contracts to sell your extra power back to them.
We are going to start with a gas generator, were at some point learn to make alcohol to run it in future. Pro-pain cook stove and for heating hot water. a small array of solar panel to run lights and a water pump for flush toilet etc. We will heat with wood also preheating our hot water for the cabin. So that's the plan.

We considered the solar plan that sells the power back to the grid but I couldn't do it in good conscience. How can I be paid 80 cents for something that gets sold for 8 cents? - besides if the grid was down we still wouldn't have power. I like the idea of having my own system where no one else has the right to come on my property to nose around 🙂

Your plans sound exciting!

Beth, you may also want to consider propane for your refrigerator too...they are now affordable, cheap to run, and can be installed indoors. They make propane freezers also.

Oh yes I was thinking about a fridge. Over the years I have been getting smaller and smaller fridges just so I can learn to live with the smaller space. We use to have our freezer on the back pouch so in winter it froze any how, it did cut down on hydro for it.
For sure Anita, 80 cents for something that gets sold for 8 cents, who the hell came up with that one. and the contracts for the solar deal most of them are very one sided for the power company. I'm always pissed we are paying for all the nuclear power my parents used and the power i use from them my kids get to pay for, mental any way you look at it. I also like the Independence of our own system.
There was talk going around last year that the government was thinking of putting meters on our privet water wells here in the sticks, well most people around here said, they can put a meter water reader on my well when they pull the gun from our cold hands. hahaha, love red necks.