How to Go Off The Grid In: The City Part 2 Electricity

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This article is a 2nd installment in a series giving simple insights on a complicated task which is, How to go off the Grid In: The City. You can read the first installment here. If you just want a recap I will touch on the important aspects of the last article.

Going off the grid can be done in a number of the ways, my focus is on the city. It is one of the easier locations to thrive off the grid contrary to popular belief. Of course I have employed these methods myself successfully and these are the take aways.

Recap

  1. Planning is very important from the beginning you must choose what city you want to live in, factor cost of living in the area (insights on grocery and gas prices) and stay away for very wealthy neighborhoods as they will employ private security they will kick you out of the location if they find you are living in your vehicle
  2. A vehicle is needed as well as funding to purchase a vehicle that fits the requirements for your style of living and ability to move freely/ park wherever you want to
  3. Good Vehicle choices are varied based on what you want to do. I like standard vans or high tops, Sprinters, Skoolies (smaller ones better in the city), and RV’s/campers work in a pinch although they are typically to large to blend and find good parking in abundance.
  4. Another option is a vehicle and trailer combo. The tow vehicle can be anything under the sun as like it is has a hitch and the tow capacity. The trailer options should be limited to a tiny house on wheels or trailer home, you can also use a tear drop or pop up trailer.
  5. I believe the best option for price and integration in the city is a van. The short Skoolie and sprinter are tied for 2nd. The Sprinter is also great and blends well but comes with high upfront cost and high parts and maintenance fees. The Skoolie doesn’t really blend after customization and paint but is lower up front in cost and roomier than the others.
  6. Remember that blending is essential you don’t want the locals and or police harassing you because they know you are living in your vehicle.

What Next?

After your vehicle decision is made the real fun starts. It is time to outfit your vehicle with elements that allow you to thrive. One of the benefits of being in the city is you don’t need to install a bathroom on board if you don’t want to. You can get a local gym membership and shower and use the facilities there as well as keep your physique top notch. Outside of that there are a plethora of locations to use the bathroom. Since the bathroom isn’t a requirement and will bring down the cost of building a proper vehicle down exponentially we won’t focus on it.

You will however need power. This of course isn’t a requirement for all, but for me it most certainly is. You may want to watch movies at night, use your laptop, play music, cook, store cold food, have lights on, what ever the case may be, you need power for it.

Another necessary edition are items for the kitchen. A small sink, refrigerator and a cooktop are essential for a permanent off grid vehicle. However, you want to keep appliances small to save space for living.

As far as sleeping and areas for sitting goes, what works wildly varies. You will have to find something that suits you and your space. A roll up cot, a hammock, or a day bed built to fit that converts from a couch to a bed to save space and of course leaves room for sitting.

You may want a small desk, quite possibly a tv or projector but all of these things are wants and not requirements so we will focus on necessities

Necessary Items

Solar Generator- I think this is by far the easiest method, I have 4 solar generators all from the same company and I love each one more than the last. You could also use Lipo batteries however then you would need a charge controller, inverter specific for the battery voltage, solar panels that would be effective for that battery bank, copper wire and connectors, a safe place o store the batteries, plus solar panels effective with that battery bank size. The solar generator has all of that built in. Simple solutions for simple problems. On top of that you can get them insured to protect your investment. They also have a standard warranty of 2 to 5 years depending on the model and you registering the generator on their website. Lastly, they have expandable options if you realize you need more power

Which One is For You

I will go through a simple method to figure out how much power you need and what you should have.

  • KW = kilowatt
  • KWH = kilowatt hours
  • 1000 kilowatt= 1 kilowatt hour
  • T= Time of use
  • KW + T = KWH

These are the basis of how you will decide. When you know what appliances you will be using you will check their wattage. A standard incandescent light bulb in a house may use 60 watts. That information is based on an hour. If you keep that bulb on for a full day (24 hours) it will use 1.4 KWH (KW (60) + T (24) = KWH (1.4)

This means you have to have a ball park estimate of the KW all of your devices use and how much time they will be used for on average to determine the capacity for your solar generator. This is the minimum required. The safe choice is to multiply that number by 3 and choose your generator based on that.

You may not be able to charge daily due to location, weather or other circumstances. I know this because with my first solar generator I ran out of power often due to to sizing it exactly. If you can, go bigger for peace of mind. You take away from the off the grid experience if you spend all your time making sure you have enough power for your fridge to keep running or to have lights on that night. However, another good thing about the generators I have and have listed for you is they can be charged using the cigarette lighter outlet in your vehicle!! Simple solutions.

My Favorite Generators

1. DELTA 2

This is about the minimum of power you want in your off the grid city abode for a van. With the smaller amount of space you will likely have less appliances to power, meaning less need of energy. This was the first solar generator I owned from this company and it served me well enough in my travels until I upgraded.

2. DELTA 2 MAX 

This is perfect for Vans, Sprinters and Skoolies. With the extra battery option it will allow you to use it without thinking about whether you will have electricity that night as long as you keep it charged.

3. DELTA PRO  

  • $3,299 MSRP
  • 3.6 KWH (3600 KW)
  • 5 year warranty with registration
  • Expandable up to 25KWH (25,000 Watts)
  • Extra Battery Option $6,549 MSRP 7.2 KWH (7200 KW)
  • Transfer Switch Kit  $3,599 MSRP (For integrating with prebuilt systems, like an RV that already has an electrical box

This one is perfect for RVS, Tiny houses and full size Skoolies as well as any of the smaller ones if you don’t want to worry about charging it daily. The expandable battery option will allow you essentially unlimited power. If you need more then this living off the grid in the city you should cut back.

Panels

Solar Panels- My favorite choice for these are ones that fold up and can be stowed away. You can head to a sunny location during the day and charge up if you need to but otherwise no one would know you are living in your vehicle. Affixed solar panels on the roof means more customization and also takes away the stealth aspect of the vehicle. You have to remember solar panels will be a beacon that you live in your vehicle permanently. It doesn’t matter if they are visible sometimes, but you don’t want that permanent sign that somebody lives here. Also keep in mind you can toss the foldable panels up on the roof when you are stationary and take them off when your ready to move on.

Keep in mind for the blow and go charging method (Charging when the opportunity presents itself) vs Static charging (permanently having panels on the roof) you should go higher wattage on the panel. Nothing over 440 as there is a limit to some of the generators. But the 400 watt or 2 220 watt panels would charge about 7 times faster than the 60 watt.

The best way to get the panels is with the generators I listed above but if you choose to go another route and still want panels these are individual ones i’ve owned form companies I like. (Keep in mind I haven’t used every size of panel only 200 watts and up). Be sure to insure them if possible.

1 ECOFLOW Foldable Panels

2 Renogy

Moving Forward

This is just the beginning, as I have said time and time again, planning is essential to your success and enjoyment of off the grid living. Now that you understand the reasoning for living off the grid in the city along with the vehicle that suits and the scenario best you have learned how to figure out your power consumption and the best generators and panels available to remain stealthy while also making sure you have enough electricity for your needs.

Let me know below if this information was useful to you.

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