Off the Grid
Stories from a disconnected life by Alanna Vitucci
For most homeowners who choose to live off the grid, a passive solar home is the best way to manage energy needs. And, it’s pretty much free! The trick is to have as many windows facing south as possible so that sunlight heats the rooms in the winter. Then, well-positioned shade trees keep the spaces cool in the summer. As a result, less energy is required to keep a fairly comfortable temperature inside.
While the practice works great in the Midwest, rainy Northwest or even the snowy Northeast, in our house, and across Arizona, it’s the exact opposite. Given that we spend roughly 100 days hiding inside air-conditioned spaces as the temperatures sore past 105 degrees, the less sun the better. Nor, does the natural climate lend itself to massive shade trees – unless you plan on waiting a good ten years for a new tree to reach peak size.
However, we haven’t yet turned into moles, ground hogs or even vampires. (OK – I will fess up. There is one vampire in our house. It’s our cat Maggie, who spends her days sleeping under the covers of our bed.) Instead, creative architectural design and site placement enabled us to build a home that it is intimately connected with our property and fairly energy efficient.
So, how’d we do it, you ask? Easy. First, we ensured that the south side of our home is snuggled up into the side of the ridge we built on. Since we had to create a flat pad to build our home on, the excavation process naturally created a cooling dirt wall. And, since the only window on that side of the house is a small one over the guest shower, it didn’t create any real visual problems.
Then, since the design of our house has large covered front and back patios, we replaced all the windows with French doors that open onto them. This means we get tons of light in the house — without direct sun from unshaded windows.
And lastly, the two covered patios create perfect seasonal zones. The back patio, which faces west, is a pleasant place to hang out during the fall, winter and early spring when daytime temperatures are in the 60s and 70s. It’s also a great place for breakfast in the summer since the sun doesn’t reach that side of the house till around 11 a.m.
Then, during the hot afternoons, we use the front patio that faces east. This area, which includes a walled courtyard, is in the full shade from about noon onwards. (Which means it’s a perfect place to enjoy a glass wine on even the warmest of evenings!)
Although we are still using electricity to heat and cool our home (temperatures can be as low as 30 degrees in the winter), we haven’t had to pay more than $150 a month during the hottest part of the year. So even though we are not off the grid, our careful design is ensuring that we are helping to conserve costs and energy.
Alanna Vitucci is the President of Cactus Blossom Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm located in Ft. McDowell, Arizona. For additional information or to request a project quote, please log onto elance.com and search for CactusBlossomCom under the provider list. Or, contact her directly at 602.418.9068 / cactusblossomcom@direcway.com.
