Building for Off-Grid Living

From solar panels to grey water, building for off-grid living is easy with The Shed House. The Shed House are builders on the Sunshine Coast, a family-owned business.

Are you building for off-grid living, but not sure where to start? This list of products, materials, and service providers can help you understand the immediate decisions you can make about your home. We start with an obvious addition to your Shed House with solar panels and lighting, then take you through the home with considerations like eco-toilets, energy monitors, gas cooktops, water tanks and more.

Solar Panels

As a renewable energy source, solar panels save money on your power bills and reduce your home’s burden on the environment. The Shed House partners with trusted local suppliers to offer solar power for all building off-grid homes.

But what if you need to store your solar power? The battery system we use is equipped with proven technology at an affordable rate. The Sunny Island system comes with a ten year warranty for ease of mind. It works in addition to the solar inverters. We offer a new generation Solar Inverter with intuitive commissioning and local monitoring via smartphone or tablet with all communication and monitoring fully facilitated through this new style monitor. If required, we also offer micro inverters.

Lighting

As standard, we will supply LED lights for your new home. LEDs are extremely energy efficient and can consume 90% less power than incandescent light bulbs. Our standard specification calls for an 8W recessed downlight with tricolour lighting available to suit your requirements with ‘warm white’, ‘cool white’ and ‘daylight’. This is easy to change depending on your room, the season, and your home aesthetics.

We can supply energy monitors with in-app usage, meaning you can view the information straight from your smartphone. This tool is designed to help you identify where you use energy, therefore enabling further reduction and savings on your bill.

Enviro Electrical Services

Enviro Electrical Services is a locally owned & operated Sunshine Coast business with a strong reputation as a quality electrical, solar power, battery storage & air-conditioning company. Liam is licenced and accredited to carry out electrical contracting work, the installation of on/off grid solar power, systems battery storage (on/off grid) and split air-conditioning systems.

Enviro Electrical are also members of the Cleantech Industries Sunshine Coast. Cleantech are an eco business hub promoting local clean technology and sustainability businesses. An independent, not-for-profit organisation providing the latest cleantech news, information and professional development opportunities for cleantech business owners and supporters. Enviro Electrical Services is committed to providing excellent service to their current and future clients.

Eco Toilets

Have you given a thought to your toilet?

Ecoflo's waterless, composting toilets can be installed to large, small or tiny homes. Their products can be suited to full time use, or just part time use. They have designed their systems around the Australian climate. These systems are suited to applications where water is limited or where you are wanting to create a more sustainable living environment.

Their product range includes: Waterless Composting Toilets, Grey Water Systems, Sun-Mar Toilets, Nature Loo, and Composting Toilets. 

Grey Water

Australian households use a total of 240.000 litres of water a year as a result of including a flushing toilet in their home. According to the Victorian Plumbing Industry Commission a 5,000L rainwater tank on a 100m² roof area would yield 60,000L per year.

But you can make a difference. Not only can installing a waterless toilet reduce your water usage but reusing grey water is a vital step in creating an off-grid home. We offer a number of systems as a package with our waterless toilets. 

Water Tanks

We can supply a variety of sizes with all tanks available in a fantastic variety of COLORBOND® colours. Here are the three top options:

1. T3300 15,000 litre, this tank is an excellent addition to larger town blocks, hobby farms and larger rural properties.
2. TXD5000 22,500 litre, this water tank has a domed and pole-less roof. This tank was designed specifically to meet the needs of customers who wanted a tank without a pole and is now available in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. This large rainwater tank is ideally suited to rural properties and large city blocks that require plenty of water.
3. The T6500 30,000 litre is a popular water tank for rural properties or hobby farmers on small acreage blocks. This tank can also be used extensively for reticulated stock watering.

Pumps

And what is a water tank without its pump? We offer a variety of water pumps with the electronic pressure system range including a great list of features like fully electronic pump controls for automatic pump starting, stopping and restart after power loss or water loss, dry run protection to prevent pump damage, corrosion resistant pump components to ensure durability. Or we can supply you with a solar pump for all of your property requirements. Each solar pump is selected based on the plan and usage requirements.

Gas Cooking and Hot Water

A product we love is the gas cooktop. The 60cm 4 Burner Gas Cooktop is stylish and designed for easy everyday use. A combination of European stainless steel design, electronic ignition, and quality finishes therefore make this cooktop the perfect, functional addition to any modern kitchen. It is a stainless steel 4 burner cooktop with electronic ignition, running on a LPG or Natural Gas connection. Gas cooktops offer a quick and easy way to start living and building off-grid.

Our gas hot water units are selected based on the number of people in your household to ensure you are always provided with enough hot water at all times. They are instant systems (continuous-flow) which heat water instantly and as it’s required. Thanks to their instantaneous nature, they’re generally cheaper to run and more efficient in contrast to storage units, which can lose heat over time. We also provide systems with great warranties for the lifetime of the product for ease of mind.

Wind Turbines

If you are really looking for a way to be green, why not check out the 1kw and 2kw Horizontal Wind Turbines. We can equip your property with a 1kw or 2kw wind turbine that won't pollute the air as they don't rely on fossil fuels, they also don't produce atmospheric emissions. Wind turbines are a wonderful, clean source of energy. The product we use has a carbon steel body, which is compact, strong and safe, with reinforced fiberglass blades. Along with a quality controller with digital screen output, complete with a 3-year-warranty that includes free repair or replacement.

Not sure where to start?

The products, materials, and service providers mentioned here are a great place to start. Though a number of choices you make can be impacted by your wants, needs, and property. Why not give The Shed House a call to start living off-grid today. You can read all about living off-grid in our Living Off-Grid Series. Alternatively, you can read more here.