I am thinking about maintaining my current rent with solar power (2022.02.10)
This is just a short quick post about thinking about my future plans.
Current I am thinking about what would happen, if I would invest in solar power in the future, instead of buying an RV?
I mean actual solar power. Solar panel(s), battery/batteries, charging controller, inverter.
The cost of the rent would be still there, but there would be no (or very little) other (electricity, gas) bills, and because of that, I would be able to maintain it on my own. Especially the gas is expensive (and inefficient).
There are small heaters, which could probably run from the solar generated energy. I need to heat only one room in the house in the winter, and only the room, because there is no tap water in the house.
The light and the charging of my smartphone, and probably even my amateur radio transceiver could also run from it.
Are there anyone here with experience with solar generated power? What do you think about my thoughts?
I like it more than an RV to live in.
Just so I understand: How much is the rent for that single room without tap water?
The rent is actually for the whole house. I use another room as a storage for most of my clothes, books and other things, so I do not heat that, and there are three other rooms, from which one room is locked (used only by the government) (they own the house).
I asked them, and it is not possible to rent a single room. I either rent the whole house, or I do not rent.
The rent alone (without any other bill) for the house is 50 000 Hungarian Forint (HUF) (currently $161.79 USD) per month.
The electricity bill and the gas bill combined is the same (or even more) amount in winter, so the total (the rent with the bills) is approximately at least $323.58 USD, but usually more. The gas is the most expensive. Especially when the temperature go below -20 °C. Fortunately/luckily this does not happen nowadays. Currently we have early spring weather.
The rent is considered as "cheap". A normal house with tap water and with a bathroom is at least the double of this price. Especially in the cities. And it is much more in Budapest, of course. And even more in other European countries.
So, you can not find a room in a shared apartment/house for less than 323$ ?
I find that hard to believe.
Since the house belongs to the government, I doubt they will allow you to install solar panels on their roof.
Yes, of course I find a few, but they do not allow animals, and I have a female Harris's Hawk, so I could not move there. Actually it is very hard to find a rent with a predatory bird.
Most rents do not allow animals at all. I consider myself fortunate/lucky that the government allow me to keep my bird in their house.
But you are probably right that they would not allow the solar panels on the roof. I asked them about an aviary (for my bird) in the garden, and they said that nothing can be built in the garden, because they keep and breed pigeons in the outbuilding (I hear the pigeons, so it is certainly true), and my hawk would disturb them, and vice-versa.
And they are completely right about this.
Sorry to say it, but that is a self afflicted limitation.
I don't want to be rude, but if I struggled to feed myself through winter, the last thing I would get myself would be a hawk.
My hawk is my only real enjoyment in my life. Especially after I live alone since approximately the middle of 2018. Those who personally know me, know this. I literally sleep with my hawk. I feed her first, and then myself. Probably this is why the government is allowing me to keep her in their house. To be honest, at first they did not wanted to allow it. This is a result of a 15-20 minutes discussion with them. I explained everything, and luckily/they were understanding and friendly, and they allowed it. The hawk is not "a self afflicted limitation", but a true life saver. Without my hawk, probably I would have already gave up. I do not say that I would commit suicide, but simply give up.
Good idea. I'm planning something similar, but I have to wait a little because we are purchasing the house right now, so I don't have cash to invest.
It is generally a bad idea to only heat one room in the winter. I understand that you don't have tap water, but you have to pay attention on the walls too. If you don't heat every room, the walls will experience great stress and will degrade faster. Not to mention that your doors inside the house are way worse insulators that the walls themselves, so the cold rooms will affect your heated room too.
My advice is that heat those rooms too. They don't have to be that warm, but heat them too.
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This is complicated, because I cannot even afford to properly heat one room, in which I live. Especially if the temperature is very cold outside. And if there is/will be some kind of problem with the house, then that is the government's problem, because they own the house. I have not asked the government about installing solar panels, but probably they will not allow it, so I have to look for another solution. Maybe I will stick to my RV plan.
What I don't understand is how do you want to buy solar panels and every support product if you can't afford heating more than one room?
Anyway, if you still want to do this and need help in the solar project I can guide you along the way.
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I currently have $1003.01 HBD in savings. If I cash this out, then I should be able to buy the mentioned products, but the government probably would not allow me to install the solar panels on the roof of the house (they own the house), so this is probably pointless. Probably I should stick to the RV plan, or look for another solution.
Oh, I see.I guess your best option is that RV. Try to buy one you can modify for better space-use. Or maybe try flipping (I don't know if its a thing for RVs).
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You need to calculate your energy usage carefully to work out your consumption and then have a system designed accordingly. Solar setups have a very slow ROI for a considerable investment and if its a rented home you're going to have issues with permissions.
Keep thinking, there are solutions to every problem. You just have to keep going until you find them :-)
Probably a literal obstacle. Especially considering the fact that I rent it from the government. I have not asked them about installing solar panels so far.
This is what I do. And if there will be no better solution, then I will stick to the RV plan.
I like the van plan ....with solar on the roof :-)
You are right. I can mix the two. Maybe this is what I will do in long term.
I am also considering going off-grid and also building a tiny and affordable house as one of my housing projects. I have been watching the YouTube channel which is called "Living Big In a Tiny House", which offers good advice on off-grid housing projects and their costs.
I am watching various YouTube videos to get ideas for a solution.