This site is dedicated to assisting and inspiring anyone who may be interested in learning how to become electrically self-sufficient.  It is a result of my own personal feud with the local electric utility, which inspired me to break a bond that I previously thought was unbreakable.

As of April 19, 2009, my home has been electrically self-sufficient for eleven years.  That's more than a decade of freedom from electric bills, blackouts, power surges and spikes, and fried electronics and appliances.

Contrary to what some folks might think, you can achieve electrical self-sufficiency WITHOUT spending tens of thousands of dollars.   You can start small and then add components gradually, based on your own personal budget.

I currently use three power sources to charge a bank of deep cycle batteries, which supply 12 volts DC power to my inverters.  The inverters produce 120 volts AC power.  Solar panels are my primary power source, along with a gasoline generator which is used mainly at night and on overcast days.  I also have a 400-watt wind turbine, which currently provides only about 5% of my total power, because I live in a valley where wind isn't very abundant.  However, the wind turbine does help during stormy weather when the wind is usually very strong, while the amount of direct sunlight is minimal.  The turbine's output is also slightly higher in the fall and winter, when the absence of leaves on the trees results in a reduction of air turbulence (less turbulence = stronger breezes).

(Under construction - more to be added soon)