Can I Heat My Off-Grid Home with Solar Power?

By Hoss Boyd
Updated on September 12, 2024
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by Adobestock/pitb_1

Welcome to our series answering reader questions and concerns about how to cut the utility company cord.

I currently use wood to heat my off-grid home but would like to figure out my options for using solar power (with batteries) for home heating. I assume the first step would be to determine solar’s cost-effectiveness for heating, but the process feels overwhelming. Can you suggest a few initial steps to get me started?-Lori Johnson

I’ll assume your intent is to heat your home with an off-grid system, since you mentioned using batteries. If you’re thinking about converting your heat source from wood to battery-banked electricity, you’ll find that approach to be the most expensive – and least reliable – way to heat your home.

In my experience, it’s impractical to use solar and batteries as a heat source. Electricity has historically been more expensive than other options and can fail during storms. Batteries are the most expensive components of off-grid systems: Even with solar panels to charge them, you must have enough stored energy capacity to cover your electricity needs for several days. In the event of an unusually long, cloudy period, you might also need to include a generator.

Instead, off-grid homes tend to use wood or propane for space heating (and sometimes solar for heating water), saving electricity to operate fans. I’ve also seen nice setups producing radiant heat using a Franklin stove or a fireplace. Whenever you depend on solar-plus-storage systems, you must first address all energy hogs. At the top of the list are air conditioning and heating. You’ll want to add plenty of insulation and eliminate drafts.

So, do you have alternatives to wood? Yes, a few, and their viability will depend on where you live.

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