Driving off the grid

Sam J Watkins

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All about sustainability options and the journey we took to become self-powered in Urban Suffolk, UK. We are not your typical eco-warriors, being based in Suffolk means vehicles are needed. We live in a town. Yet, we have taken our house through from an EPC C to a B without doing to much to the main fabric. We shared the stories we hear from other people - no one size fits all in the UKs journey to net zero in terms of zero emissions.

5 days ago

Resource management underpins everything.

Forget the piggy banks and penny-pinching, true resilience looks a lot more like a well-stocked larder. In this episode of Driving Off the Grid, we look at how natural cycles of abundance and careful storage translate into modern self-sufficiency. From energy independence to preserving what you grow, we explore what it really means to put things away for a rainy day. Yesterday, we baked a chicken pie, cooked a fruit parcel, charged the car, vacuumed and steamed the upstairs rooms, did three loads of washing, and cycled the dishwasher. All of the 8.4 kWh we generated from our solar cells and the power stowed in our battery. The chicken for the pie had been cooked for Sunday roast, it was leftovers. The pastry was shop bought, but the fruit parcels meant the leftover pastry was used. Cooking the two courses cost less than 1.5kWh, because I used my combination microwave and fan oven. The shop bought pastry came in packaging that was completely recycled. Plug-in solar will bring that capability to many more people throughout the UK. You no longer need to own your property to have access to solar power. So, is it worth it? NB: The https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/map shows how many renewable sources of energy there are in the UK. And how few are actively donating to the grid. The answer is not to pump gas and oil out of the North Sea but to get these hooked up, in my opinion.
14 Aug

The race is on

When I contemplated having a podcast, this was the first idea I had for busting some myths about owning a heat pump. It's not your usual discussion on efficiency. Inspired by the legendary Murray Walker, this looks at a dilemma faced by many every day and how our heat pump not only was up to the task in hand, but used less energy too. NB - our hot water tank is a 320 litre one, so the pump is doing a bit more than I estimated in the podcast. Our heat pump is a Visessman Vitocal not Vitodens! Though I did get the coefficient of performance (COP), aka seasonal performance factor, right: 4.2 was our value last year and the year before. If you want to see our numbers, in full, please see Number crunching part 2.
7 Aug

Insulation for keeping cool.

In this episode, I share how the right insulation in the right places can help you stay cool during the summer and warm during the winter. I hear many broadcasters complain that UK homes are built for retaining heat and not keeping cool during the summer. But actually, it we think of insulation as allowing us to maintain a comfortable living temperature, insulating your home could give you that benefit. Following on from this article on my blog, we examine what has been working for us, what we're thinking of doing next, and what might be worth looking at for your home! If you have any thoughts about this piece or subjects you'd like covered, please leave a comment below. It's not all about creating shaded spaces this summer!
31 Jul

Living off the grid

How have we managed to live 10 weeks off grid while high heat has meant our solar production has been a little lower in June than it was last year? Why would we want to do such a thing? Should we have been braver doing this? This draws on the figures shown in article Living off the Grid and a little more besides.
24 Jul

TechoSolara - the app

Carl Sagan used to teach his students that any intelligent civilisation on any planet will eventually have to harness the energy from its parent star exclusively. Many people in the UK have made the move to solar, but it is interesting hearing why people don't. Their answers inspired me to build an app that in 20 seconds would give them the information it takes a professional several minutes to obtain. If the building or structure you are looking to use doesn't exist yet, TechoSolara will take in the details you give it. All without needing an internet connection - you can be in the middle of the UK countryside, without a phone signal and it will still work. Hear all about it here.
21 Jul

Welcome to Driving off the Grid.

Why is it called Driving off the Grid and what is it all about? Here the answers here - btw, the series name is from a section of my blog called Driving off the Grid. It started off as talking about driving an electric car, but quickly evolved into something more... our journey from EPC C to EPC B and hopefully an A. Of course, in this piece, I look at the world in 2013, when electricity in the UK was 14p a unit and LED bulbs were a small fortune. But that small step was the start of a bigger story and you can follow that here.

6 Episodes

All about sustainability options and the journey we took to become self-powered in Urban Suffolk, UK. We are not your typical eco-warriors, being based in Suffolk means vehicles are needed. We live in a town. Yet, we have taken our house through from an EPC C to a B without doing to much to the main fabric. We shared the stories we hear from other people - no one size fits all in the UKs journey to net zero in terms of zero emissions.

Creator

Sam J Watkins
Years Active

2026
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Sam J Watkins
Show Website

Driving off the grid