Way back sixteen years ago when we started we had no idea how to live off the grid, so we pretty much wrote our own manual.

The first thing you will need to do is make your house more energy efficient. This step is a big one that many people miss. You see, by reducing the amount of electricity that you use you are also reducing the amount of energy you will need to produce with your renewable energy system. There are many different techniques you can use to become more energy efficient, and the one that most people start out with is changing their light bulbs.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs offer 75% energy savings over standard incandescent ones and with the recent advances in the technology they now mimic incandescent light very well. Considering that lighting usually takes up around 20% on an electric bill the savings can really add up.

Once your house is energy efficient you'll need to start building your renewable energy system. This isn't as hard as you think. If you have basic DIY skills you can literally save 95% of the cost and build your wind generator and solar panels yourself.

If you live in a windy area I would definitely recommend building a wind generator to start out. Wind generators are cheaper to build per watt of power produced than solar panels are. We have built our 1000 watt wind generator for under $150 and documented the process.

If you don't live in a very windy area you aren't out of luck, it just means that it will cost you a little extra to build the solar panels to power your home. This works in your favour because solar panels have no moving parts and wear out a lot slower than wind generators do. Your solar panels may last 20 years with zero maintenance other than making sure they're clean; however, with a wind generator you'll probably have to replace the motor every 5 - 10 years.

You will also need a battery bank for your renewable energy system which I am proud to say can be had for free. We've found a couple great sources of low cost batteries and if you have some time and patience you can bring them back to life.

It really isn't as hard as you think to live off the grid. It doesn't require a guide, just the willingness to go find the information that will help you.