ALBERTINIA NEWS AND VIDEO - Martin and Karen Hobbs live completely off the grid on Kleinboere Smallholdings some 3 km outside the town.
The couple planned to retire in Marloth Park next to the Kruger National Park, but when Karen developed fibromyalgia, they started looking for a place where the climate would not worsen the symptoms.
"We travelled along the coast from Northern KwaZulu-Natal to the West Coast in a caravan, looking for the perfect place," says Martin. Eventually, they bought the 5,6 ha smallholding three years ago.
"We didn't want a conventional South African home, because we wanted to design and build a house that leaves as small an ecological footprint as possible. We love nature and we always wanted to live off the grid. I believe it is a clever way of living efficiently, with as little harm as possible to nature. The whole world should be looking to live like this."
"If you want to live off the grid, you need to make lifestyle changes." If you want to adapt to a new lifestyle, there are disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that you are independent of a service provider such as Eskom. "We didn't even know there was load-shedding!"
Watch a video below.
Martin used an Australian passive house design to build their 108 sq meter home with neat Nutec Vermont plank fibre-cement. The walls consist of double wooden panels which are super-insulated, as is the space between the ceiling and IBR zinc roof. The house is north-facing, which allows the sun to stream in through large double-glazed windows and sliding doors to heat up the concrete slab in winter, but not in summer. "The hottest outside summer temperature we measured was 44°C, but inside it was 28°C; the coldest winter temperature was 4°C, while the inside temperature was 17°C."
On the roof are 9 x 225w solar panels, which are connected to a set of 8 x 6v batteries in the shed. A meter in the house shows the state of battery charge and percentage of charge available. A 5 Kw inverter converts solar power into 240v electricity. "Solar power is generated even when it is overcast, and on sunny days we use only electricity. On rainy days, we use gas. Only LED bulbs are used."
"If you are serious about going off the grid, you need to change to efficient modern appliances that will use less battery power and water. The bathroom and kitchen are fitted with gas geysers which heat the water only while the water is running. The gas stove is seldom used because they use an electric convection oven, a microwave oven, slow cooker, and a bread-maker, which Karen also uses to make jam. They have a fridge and freezer, television set and internet.
Their system cost R67 000, which is relatively low compared to up to R250 000 it may cost to convert a conventional home for the use of solar power. "Maybe our low cost may encourage others to move to off-grid as well? One doesn't have to live like a hippie when you live off-grid. We live with all the modern amenities, but we get our solar energy for free."
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