Living Off The Grid

Most off-grid folks, homesteaders and sustainable living devotees will tout the benefits of reusing everything and fixing up old stuff until it’s lived several lifetimes. That goes for everything from adding a new handle to an old shovel (freshly sharpened and oiled, of course) to finding throw-away windows at the dump or fixing up the old washing machine. For the most part, they’re right. The financial and environmental cost of producing something new, even if it’s more energy and cost-efficient, is usually much more than the cost (to the environment and your pocket book) of fixing something old.

But I was reading a blog post today that made me think about how some might be taking the concept far enough that it does more harm than good.

For instance, if you have an old gas water heater from 1975 that has holes rusting in it and a pilot light that goes out every other day, you could save a few hundred dollars by welding over the hole and installing a new pilot light – or just dealing with the inconvenience of relighting the darn thing all the time. This may sound like the frugal way to go. Considering the environmental impact of creating a new water heater, it might even seem like the eco-friendly way to go. But the difference in efficiency (which has both monetary and environmental impacts) between your old tank and a new, Energy Star model gas water heater is profound. Buying a new one could actually save you more in a year than fixing your old one! And that’s not even considering the new tankless, on-demand water heaters available these days. Combine one of these things with a solar water heater and your energy use for heating water becomes next to nothing. One more thing to consider are state and federal tax deductions and tax credits for installing new, energy efficient appliances. Come tax-time you might find out that your new appliance didn’t cost you much at all. We got a rebate from the electric company this summer for buying a new evaporative cooler. We also got a tax credit. When all was said and done, I got a $300 air conditioner / swamp cooler that uses less electricity than my old wall unit and I only paid $20 out of pocket.

And what about those second-hand windows I mentioned before? Windows are one of the most important factors in having a snug, energy-efficient home. Reusing old windows for the guest cabin, the barn or the workshop is great! But how much are you saving of the course of their lifetime when you reuse old, single-pane windows versus buying new ones for your main house? I don’t have the answer to that question for every situation, but it’s worth thinking about.

The point is that things aren’t always as black and white as we want them to be, and sometimes spending money and buying something new can actually save you money in the long run while also being better for your health and the environment. …sometimes. The important thing is to think these things out and not let the examples above be an “excuse” to buy something new if something old and reused would be just as good.