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offgridliving
Member
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2015 10:58am
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Hello everyone,
I am brand new to this forum, primarily because I just found it. I have been browsing and looking at all the topics. Very interesting!! Lots of different folks here. It's great.
So, I got to wondering about something. For those of you that live completely off the grid, why did you make that choice?
I have had an off-grid property for almost 20 years. I went back to the dark side (living on the grid) for 7 years because of aging parents and I felt I had an obligation to them. Now I am back off the grid and love it.
I made that choice for several reasons:
1) Much less expensive way to live (no mortgage)
2) Love of living in a rural area with no neighbors
3) I am in control of my own resources: water, electricity, food (to some degree)
4) My way of life is much more eco-friendly
Comments please. I would really like to know what some of you think.
Offgridliving (Patrick)
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pizzadude
Member
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2015 08:50pm - Edited by: pizzadude
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Yep. Same.
It's neat being out there, in the middle of nowhere, with all the resources necessary to survive, at minimal expense.
I also look at it like this. That most of us here in this community possess the knowledge and skills to sustain ourselves and survive without having to depend on modern "necessities" such as electricity and oil. Although most of us do depend on electricity, our style is renewable. Up front costs are forgotten. It's free now, and it's always here when we need it, with proper maintenance.
I wonder sometimes if or when we might experience a massive power disruption how the rest of humanity would react. Power and fuel is everything to the majority. For without either, there's no heat. Foods spoil. And cooking is impossible. Not to mention lighting virtually nonexistent.
I'm thinking chaos.
But an event like that is impossible anyways...
But if it were possible, I think most of us would have the confidence to know what to do and how to react based on knowledge and experience.
To me, off-gridding is fun and enjoyable. There's really too much I love about the experience to mention everything.
Two words come to mind.
Accomplishment and satisfaction
Btw, welcome Patrick!
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Coastal
Member
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2015 09:06pm
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Cheap land, freedom and self sufficiency were our main factors.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2015 10:33pm
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After over ten years of research and generally getting sick and tired of watching my power bills rise the less I used plus a wind storm hammering my home only to watch my insurance company skate.... then it hit me, it's time to finally do it...so I did, with a lot of inspiration from this place....been off grid loving solar for just over a year now with ZERO regrets.
The most important lesson I have learned is don't procrastinate regardless of the information, best teacher is experience....just Do It!
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 07:30am
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I've been wanting to do this my whole life but married and kid's and living the rat race put it on the back burner.You know how 20 becomes 30,30 becomes 40 and 40 becomes,,,(uggg I can't say it,lol.)When I found this land for sale,the old dream flared up again.It has been the ultimate challenge for me.Pluss the fact that I'm not paying someone else half my pay check to live here,I'm paying myself.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 08:23am
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1) Cost. ~$20,000 to get electric run and installed at my cabin, then I get rewarded with a monthly bill. Or, I could spend less than $500 and have 12 volt power for my shower pump, stereo and lights.
2) A bit of seclusion. I don't expect an off-grid neighbor to have loud parties, lots of noise, activity etc. So far the most intrusive noise is their generator, but only occasionally. My off-grid neighbors don't use their property much.
3) Frequent power outages due to downed trees/wires in my area don't bother me! Some outages last weeks. My electric is always available.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 08:42am
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I stumbled into offgrid life in 2010. Someone else's dream. Once I got my feet in the soil though. It was like my childhood out on the farm came back to me.
So I stay for the joy of the puzzle. Building not just an equivalent lifestyle from the city but a better one. I have a lovely solar system which powers all my many devices. This year lights turn on and off as I enter or leave buildings. I can control the main systems in my house from my lap in bed even if it is 3 in the a.m. That's just fun.
Next year I will fine tune the various water systems. I have built a solar water heater. So there's that to install. Maybe an arduino controller?
But mostly, I stay for nature. The experience is untouchable.
And I stay for free time. Which I do occasionally have too much of.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 09:17am - Edited by: Gary O
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Why did I?
Well, I did have a hard time tearing myself away from;
Getting up at the crack of dawn, getting dressed in the clothes needed for work, driving thru traffic in a car I was making payments on in order to get to the job I needed to pay for the clothes and car...and the house I'd leave vacant most my waking hours because I was at a job in order to afford to live there....
Oh, it was an exciting challenge to save nickels and spend dimes, getting that paycheck, depositing it for, maybe, two-three days.
Insuring everything imaginable, because, well, ya never know.
Getting that warm correspondence every month from my friends at the various utilities.
Hard to put my finger on it, really.
But once out here, a more prominent question presses against my forehead from time to time as I stroll outside to turn the jenny on, then amble back inside to sip coffee in bed, considering all I'd left behind while watching the sun come up...why didn't I do this sooner?
Guess I'll never know....
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 11:21am
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Power lines are two miles away.
Hydro is expensive in Canada.
Relative just had hydro disconnected from her garage because she wasn't using it. Hydro company was charging her $55.00 per month just to have it hooked up.
No sound of a refrigerator compressor. Just nature.
Lots of money saved for other projects at the cabin.
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Borrego
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 10:35pm
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Quoting: offgridliving I made that choice for several reasons: 1) Much less expensive way to live (no mortgage) 2) Love of living in a rural area with no neighbors 3) I am in control of my own resources: water, electricity, food (to some degree) 4) My way of life is much more eco-friendly
I agree on 1 -3, not into the eco stuff, tends to be too PC for me...but I am becoming obsessed with the off-grid concept, I kinda fell into it due to where we found our place and the rugged terrain and lack of utilities...My big moment of pride will be when I really am totally self-sufficient, isn't that what anyone would strive for?
We had a 24 hr power outage here in SoCal about three years ago and i was shocked at the total stupidity and lack of preparedness with my city neighbors. There were literally people crying, begging for candles and flashlights on our block, what would they have done if it were a 72 hr blackout? We were fine and kinda enjoyed it bit almost but everyone else...wow!
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2015 12:28am - Edited by: Gary O
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Quoting: Borrego We had a 24 hr power outage here in SoCal about three years ago and i was shocked at the total stupidity and lack of preparedness with my city neighbors. There were literally people crying, begging for candles and flashlights on our block, what would they have done if it were a 72 hr blackout? We were fine and kinda enjoyed it bit almost but everyone else...wow!
Columbus Day storm
1962
Before 'off grid'
Lived out a ways
We were without power for three weeks after that big blow
Had to haul water from a spring up the hill
Got warm by the fireplace
Cooked food by the fireplace
Heated water by the fireplace
Saw by the fireplace
Watched the fire (not TV)....by the fireplace
Got to know each other a bit better
We were lucky
We had a fireplace
Three weeks is a l-o-n-g time
Guess who chopped the wood?
FEMA wasn't invented yet
Neither was crying
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2015 12:38am
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Borrego
Since you mentioned power outages, I started to think about living simply and sufficiently when I realized how much I ENJOYED power outages and found myself to be rather disconcerted when the power came back on. I thought, wow, if I could keep perishable food safe and charge up my phone and laptop, I could DO this all of the time. I like the quiet, the simplicity, and the lack of distractions. I find better things to do with my time.
Of course, there's a lot of problem-solving that goes into living off-grid. More than I realized initially. But solving those problems and using one's mind is satisfying, too.
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Borrego
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2015 10:56am
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Our cabin has no power at the present time and we love it, it's one of the reasons we go! We will add solar soon for a few creature comforts, but it will still be primitive.
I remember the last power outage and stopping by a gas station to get some gatorade...there was a guy in a BMW yelling at the attendant to fill his car. The poor attendant was tryin to explain that the pumps weren't working because...duh...there was no power. This obviously well to do guy just couldn't get it, was yelling at the top of his lungs about his money and fill up my %^&#@ car... I just had to laugh. Some people will not do well if there ever is a major event...
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rugercpl
Member
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# Posted: 3 Dec 2015 10:26pm
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I have a 3 season cabin off-grid which i take long weekends often at so I'm not off-grid all the time but love it for the same reasons......
"I made that choice for several reasons:
1) Much less expensive way to live (no mortgage)
2) Love of living in a rural area with no neighbors
3) I am in control of my own resources: water, electricity, food (to some degree)
4) My way of life is much more eco-friendly"
I'm not sure about #4 because my lifestyle is nearly the same off-grid as it is on. Only difference is how I'm supplying myself with electric and water.
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offgridliving
Member
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# Posted: 5 Dec 2015 02:27pm
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Hello everyone,
I do really appreciate everyone's replies to my question. I literally took a long vacation from the world and spent a lot of time at my cabin making improvements and working on new construction. I have not had access to the internet for a while but now I am back.
Anyway, I wanted to offer a few more thoughts on this thread of conversation.
I left my off-grid place for a period of time, moved cross country, because I need to spend some time taking care of some family obligations with aging parents. During that time, there was a significant storm in my area which took out the power for 5 days, with temperatures being below freezing. I was truly amazed at how unprepared people were to deal with what I considered a minor inconvenience. I simply blocked off the living room, kept the fireplace going and turned my back porch into an outdoor kitchen.
In the last four months, I have put a tremendous amount of work into my place. I am finishing out a new cabin, re-doing and vastly expanding my solar, and installing a small wind turbine. Lots and lots of heavy labor. During periods like this, I find it easy to forget why I live like I do.
But, when I get up in the morning and stand out on the front porch, what is it that I hear????
Nothing!!!! Only the sounds of nature. I often think if everyone on the planet had such a place to spend time in things would be much less chaotic.
For me, living off the grid simply means you are responsible for everything that you do and everything that you don't do. I think that is too much for some people. That is why such a lifestyle is not for everyone.
It seems there are a lot of small books, e-books, etc, being published these days about living off the grid. I purchased one the other day ($2.99 off Amazon) just to see what the guy had to say. He obviously has never lived off the grid and knew nothing about the subject.
When I first bought my land, I went so far out on a financial limb I could not afford ANYTHING. So, I lived in a tent for 5 months while I built the cabin. Worked hard, learned a lot, had some miserable failures and some grand successes. But, I would do it all over again. What a sense of accomplishment.
I do not lend much credence to SHTF scenarios. But I think if such a thing did ever happen, all of us off-gridders might slightly raise an eyebrow and just keep doing what we are doing.
Cheers to all.
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Coyote Flats
Member
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2016 03:58pm
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About ten years ago I was asked to go out to someone's off grid cabin and do some electrical work. It was a friend of a friend who later became my friend and neighbor . I liked being out at his place and when he asked me what I wanted for pay I told I didn't need to be paid. I woke up the next morning when someone knocked on my door. It was the fellow I did the electrical work the day before he handed me a set of keys and said my cabin is your cabin thanks for your help.
So I started spending weekends out at his place while he spent time in town with his lady friend. I realized right away that I loved being in the woods away from it all. I started looking at areas close by wherei could build and get a lease. I found it and built my own cabin 4 km away from my friends place. We both live at our cabins 24/7 . It was the best thing I ever did I now have a 1400 square ft cabin in the boreal forest with a garden, greenhouse and garden beds. I'm looking at chickens and rabbits now. Life is as good as you want it to be.
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Timber Tramp
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2016 09:30pm
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I love my 10 years so far off the grid, mostly because I enjoy fixing generators and cutting wood. Lol
After going thru over 16 genys, the best of the best is the Honda 2500EX non inverter model which is on its third year of use or 3000 hrs since I bought it used. It runs at least 6hrs a day, everyday.
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ack787
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# Posted: 23 Mar 2016 01:30am
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhEC2fRqyQ0
ask this guy 24 years no electrical bill I recently met him and wow he has solid advice
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rugercpl
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jun 2016 06:55pm
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Quoting: Timber Tramp the best of the best is the Honda 2500EX
I cant find any info on the 2500ex...you sure thats the model number?
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rugercpl
Member
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# Posted: 16 Jun 2016 07:31pm
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I'm not off grid as much as I want to be but I do spend as much time as I can above freezing at my off-grid cabin in the Catskills which is 20 minutes away from my year-round house. I didnt build the place from the ground up but I did change or just spruce-up everything that was here when I bought it 4 years ago. Previously the cabin was designed to run solely on a genny, and the one that came with the sale of the cabin was obnoxiously loud and gassy. I admit that I went thru a "prepper" stage for a year or two prior to and after the cabin purchase, and part of that prep was retrofitting with a solar generator and upgrade to a eu2000i for back up. I use the sun 70% of the time and the honda 30%. It's a small system that suits my needs just fine. I guess I like what most other people like about being off-grid...fewer people around, nobody coming to read a meter, surrounded by woods and nature, and a sense of security from all that. It's a good contrast to my other life which is the opposite. It's not without some of the luxury you'd find in a suburban lifestyle..I do have a strong cell signal so the internet is there, and I watch a lot of Blu-Ray shows on a big screen. I have 8 acres and I can shoot guns, hunt, play loud music, and get a little drunk without anyone being bothered. It's as nice to not bother anyone as it is to not be bothered. The sounds of the birds are amazing. the chorus in the morning and evening is priceless. I'm surrounded by 50, 80, 120 foot trees. There is no mortgage, no electric bill (other than propane gas to run my converted eu2000i), no cable bill...hell I don't even have insurance payment on the property because there is no certificate of occupancy and private land surrounding me. Taxes are $800/year. I can deal with that. It's not set-up to be winterized though so that's why i'm not full-time. I may sell it and build another that's winterized. I have land nearby that would be just as welcoming to the lifestyle.
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Viperedpete1958
Member
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# Posted: 28 Aug 2016 11:18am
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HinPatrick are you in ontario if u are are u in an non or un organized township ? I am looking for a peice of land too ty edward
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HiddenMountain
Member
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# Posted: 22 Nov 2016 11:19pm
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Short answer, because 20 years ago "business partner" stole all of our money and took off to the Philippines! Had nowhere else to land and started from scratch, with kerosene, propane and batteries.
After years of the soothing sound of the creek, I decided to try to tap into it and get some things spinning to make electricity. My first success came from an exercise bike and a tape-deck rewind motor used as a mini generator. That little 12V light bulb was the a light on the hill and folks came from miles around to see it! I've upgraded a bit since then, with a Stream Engine hydro unit that makes 24V continuous @22A, Magnum 4800W PS inverter and a good bank of 6V deep cycle batteries for when the penstock intake freezes. (which it's getting ready to do this weekend!)
Lack of mortgage, rent, and other expenses keeps me here. However, it does get boring once you've built everything...
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Cowracer
Member
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2016 08:51am - Edited by: Cowracer
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I guess I am a heretic, as I am not off grid at all. I like my air conditioning and microwave burritos too much. Besides, I am an electrical engineer. Can't go over to the 'dark' side
Tim
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Tonir
Member
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# Posted: 27 Nov 2016 01:04pm
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Quoting: Gary O # Posted: 10 Oct 2015 09:17 - Edited by: Gary O Reply Quote Why did I? Well, I did have a hard time tearing myself away from; Getting up at the crack of dawn, getting dressed in the clothes needed for work, driving thru traffic in a car I was making payments on in order to get to the job I needed to pay for the clothes and car...and the house I'd leave vacant most my waking hours because I was at a job in order to afford to live there.... Oh, it was an exciting challenge to save nickels and spend dimes, getting that paycheck, depositing it for, maybe, two-three days. Insuring everything imaginable, because, well, ya never know. Getting that warm correspondence every month from my friends at the various utilities. Hard to put my finger on it, really. But once out here, a more prominent question presses against my forehead from time to time as I stroll outside to turn the jenny on, then amble back inside to sip coffee in bed, considering all I'd left behind while watching the sun come up...why didn't I do this sooner? Guess I'll never know....
OMG!! You just have me the chills and tears in my eyes! That is exactly what my husband and are going through right now and why we want out! We are not there yet but we have the determination and dream! Fingers crossed we can "escape" from our society prison!
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2016 08:19pm
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Quoting: Tonir we have the determination and dream!
Keep it
it'll happen
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Trulsson
Member
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2017 03:48pm
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I do not miss traffic lights, traffic, noise,etc etc. wake up every morning in silence. I can hear river otters and birds. Not garbage trucks and traffic. compose and recycle everything. Turn on the lights and no meter running. I have a little more then a cabin but love the life. 10KW system. Can run my shop and in floor heating.
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offgridjunkie
Member
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# Posted: 19 May 2017 12:45pm - Edited by: offgridjunkie
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I went off the grid just to prove it can be done. Best decision I ever did. I love being the CEO of my Power Company, Water Treatment, and Sanitation providers. I never how an outage, blockage, etc. Everything just seems to work. . If it doesn't only one way to point the finger.
Also love that all I have to pay is my property tax and maintenance on my batteries for power and my house. Everything else is free. All in Taxes, Maint, Propane costs me $4000 / year or $350 a month. You can't rent a trailer space for that.
I love being "The Man" Ha Ha
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Big Ed
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# Posted: 29 Nov 2017 09:17pm
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Quoting: silverwaterlady Hydro is expensive in Canada.
What are you calling hydro? Are you referring to electricity generated using water? That word isn’t used by itself around here.
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old243
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# Posted: 29 Nov 2017 10:34pm
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Most of the power in Ontario, and Canada, was produced from water power. Ontario hydro was our provincial utility. Has now changed to hydro 1. I guess the word just stuck, probably not about to change. old243
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Big Ed
Member
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# Posted: 29 Nov 2017 10:41pm
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Thanks
I’ve learned over time to not abbreviate, and to use full descriptions on these forums. Because as you point out, different shortcuts catch on in different regions. We have hydroelectric here, but it’s not a big percentage of the power produced.
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