Off Grid Living: Stage One, Electricity

Our lovely Frog Pond

When we bought the house, our biggest concern was getting it up and running.  If you've read my earlier posts you know that as of taking possession of the house we essentially had a concrete bunker. The whole structure including the roof is made of concrete. Tabla rasa.  And upon Thomas' first visit as Caribbean home owner to the house in December 2015, after having gone on a shopping spree in Santiago, he had a small refrigerator with invertor technology (a must!), a small microwave and a queen-sized mattress that he put on the floor, he had to live a very Spartan life...(Remember he had a week to get things up an running for my arrival!) There were no toilets as you recall and the pool was a very popular frog pond for all the romantic rendezvous of the local amphibian population. Indeed, it took several months to convince the local frogs to find a new place to call home. Eww...  But, eventually, they are living elsewhere. After many visits and shopping sprees all over the island and online, plus many deliveries and oversized baggage fees, we have a functioning house. There is still a lot of painting to do...more so now that my husband is drilling various holes to run wires and vent openings... And we are in need still of end tables and wall decor...but I digress...

Just a big beige bunker...

A simple mattress...no linens!

We have learned through trial and error that our biggest expense at our house on the hill is the electricity.  On average after a one-week visit,  we pay anywhere from US $175-220 for that month! That's for a week of ceiling/floor fans, laundry, hot showers (electric hot water heater) and running the pool pump a bit more often due to more use for 5 people.  As people may or may not be aware there are several electrical rates in the DR.  I finally got a look at them and will include a screenshot when I re-find it.  Basically, if you use electricity for lighting only and you have perhaps 4 total lights you will basically pay next to nothing. Then the rates begin to jump upwards.  At the usage level that a pool pump and/or expat style household uses you have a 4x basic rate, add AC multiply by 8 or 10! Needless to say we've been exploring our options.  Solar is becoming so much cheaper!  My husband was looking into wind turbines because he can maintain one.  Our decision to go solar instead basically had to do with the prices falling on solar panels and the fact that we wouldn't be there to maintain a wind turbine should something fail...  also, I'm secretly happy that my husband came to the solar conclusion because I am very sensitive to sounds and vibrations and I was worried about that. Thus, my better half gets to

note the rate jump after 300 KWh!

have one of his bonus casa visits this week. He's traveling around various hurricanes to the DR and getting our tankless propane water heater (finally...had it since day one) and a DC solar powered pool pump and 6 solar panels installed.  He's using JBsolar located in Puerto Plata to install the 6 panels on the roof, but doing the electrical hook ups and pool pump install himself.  3 of the panels will power the pool pump directly, and 3 will charge our 4 batteries. To do this he is traveling with quite a strange array of equipment and although neither of the bags is over 50 pounds. I am sure there are going to be some TSA inspectors wondering what the pool pump is.  I'll let everyone know if it was successful as soon as I know. But, if all goes well.  We will have a zero cost house...and if usage jump while the house is in use, it should still fall into the lower electrical rates. Crossing my fingers!  Next stage: Rain collection and water storage...to be continued...

cloudy sunrise at the casa

Update:. We have solar, people!

YES!!!