I have a storage building that is 20' by 40'. It is 3 to 4' off the ground. It is insulated, roofed and sided. I want to be able to put in electric mainly for lighting. Also, I want to be able to heat it in the winter. I only want to keep the heat at about 50 degrees to make sure that the books and other stuff I have stored don't freeze.
We thought of just running a line from our house (from our breaker box) down to the building but our box can't take any extra lines. As it stands we decided we would just have the electric company install a line of its own from its own pole. But this means having another electric bill each month.
So.......... before we get involved in doing this I thought I might investigate some options. I would love for the building to be solar powered but I don't think it would generate enough power for the heat. And I think it would be harder for wind power as it is in a valley.
I know I can put in a propane heater of some type but then how would I regulate the thermostat without having the electric?
There is a creek about 25 feet away and I even thought about some kind of water powered generator. Is there such a thing? If any of you out there have ideas I would love to hear about them.
I thought if I could keep this building off grid then perhaps I could work on eventually getting my home off grid also.
Thanks in advance
Jen
(in Western PA)
We thought of just running a line from our house (from our breaker box) down to the building but our box can't take any extra lines. As it stands we decided we would just have the electric company install a line of its own from its own pole. But this means having another electric bill each month.
So.......... before we get involved in doing this I thought I might investigate some options. I would love for the building to be solar powered but I don't think it would generate enough power for the heat. And I think it would be harder for wind power as it is in a valley.
I know I can put in a propane heater of some type but then how would I regulate the thermostat without having the electric?
There is a creek about 25 feet away and I even thought about some kind of water powered generator. Is there such a thing? If any of you out there have ideas I would love to hear about them.
I thought if I could keep this building off grid then perhaps I could work on eventually getting my home off grid also.
Thanks in advance
Jen
(in Western PA)