How to Live Off Grid by Nick Rosen

A review of How to Live Off Grid - Journeys Outside the System by Nick Rosen

In How to Live Off-Grid, Nick Rosen investigates the possibilities and difficulties of living an off-grid lifestyle with no mains water and no mains power. It is not a typical How To guide to off-gridding although the book is packed with useful information. Instead the main focus of the book is on real people living an off-grid life - their motivations, their struggles, their problems, and their solutions.

In the 120 page Chapter 4: Meet the People, Nick Rosen tells the story of his own journey around the UK in his newly purchased off-grid camper van meeting off-gridders from all walks of life who are living off-grid with varying levels of success and for a range of different reasons.

These short stories give a fascinating look into the often difficult world of the off-gridder: seemingly a constant struggle against council planners, neighbours, and the elements. Living an off-grid existence is rarely easy, but is shown to be hugely fulfilling.

The rest of the book comprises chapters on generating power, obtaining water, and building shelter. In addition a chapter entitled We Were All Off Grid Once tells the story of how we ended up on-grid in the first place and looks into the main motivations for people to move off-grid today.

Of most interest to the majority of REUK.co.uk visitors is the Chapter 8: Get Serious Energy for Life. This is a good if basic introduction to domestic renewable energy generation. Solar (1) (including solar water heating (2)), wind (3), and hydro (4) are all covered as are batteries (5), power inverters (6) and generators.

The importance of water to any off-gridder is also covered with a few pages on rainwater harvesting (7), greywater (8), compost toilets (9), and natural springs and bore holes. There is an excellent full page illustration (p233) of the complete power and water system used by one of the off-gridders visited by the author.

How to Live Off-Grid is information packed and very easy and entertaining to read. The real world practicalities of living off-grid in the UK today are well covered in this unique and well researched book.

Nick Rosen

The author of How to Live Off-Grid, Nick Rosen, is a journalist and broadcaster currently based in London. He is also the editor of the Off-Grid.net (10) website on which extracts from the book (11) can be read and further information about Off-Grid living found.

Buy a Copy of the Book

Click here to buy a copy of How to Live Off-Grid (12) by Nick Rosen from Amazon.co.uk. RRP is Ł12.99 however it is usually available at 30% off at Ł9.09.

Web Link References

(1) http://www.reuk.co.uk/solar.htm
(2) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Introduction-to-Solar-Water-Heating.htm
(3) http://www.reuk.co.uk/wind.htm
(4) http://www.reuk.co.uk/hydro.htm
(5) http://www.reuk.co.uk/storage.htm
(6) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Power-Inverters.htm
(7) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Collect-Rainwater.htm
(8) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Greywater.htm
(9) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Introduction-to-Compost-Toilets.htm
(10) http://www.off-grid.net
(11) http://www.off-grid.net/book-extracts-from-how-to-live-off-grid-by-nick-rosen/
(12) http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385611277/theowlnet-21

Article from REUK.co.uk:
http://www.reuk.co.uk/How-to-Live-Off-Grid-by-Nick-Rosen.htm
Published: 24th September 2014
Š REUK 2024