Tucked away in southern Tasmanian bushland, Eily Stevenson and Jon Oliver are embarking on an off-grid journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple, originally from Sydney, moved to Tasmania for the weather and the lifestyle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We knew we wanted to have a family and the idea of raising a young family off-grid in nature was really attractive to us,” Ms Stevenson said.<\/p>\n
“We are outdoor nature lovers and I cannot think of a better place actually in the entire world … Tassie is right up there with the most beautiful, pristine places.”<\/p>\n
The property is in southern Tasmania.\u00a0 (ABC News: Maren Preuss)<\/p>\n
They purchased their bush block a few years ago, which already had the dwelling on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, they are beginning to transition the property off-grid, which means being disconnected from the main electricity grid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Off-grid can also mean disconnected from other public utilities, such as water and sewerage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their first major task will be switching the home to solar, for which they have budgeted about $25,000 to include up to 24 panels and a few batteries.<\/p>\n
“The up-front benefits will be at a financial loss, but I think when you factor in all the costs projecting out five to 10 years, it will pay for itself,” Mr Oliver said.<\/p>\n
The couple moved to Tasmania for the weather and the lifestyle. (ABC News: Scout Wallen)<\/p>\n
“Five years ago, probably would have been upwards of $30,000, any longer probably up towards \u2026 $40,000, and the technology was nowhere near as good either, so definitely it’s become more affordable to move off-grid.”<\/p>\n
They have already spent $45,000 on their driveway and access.<\/p>\n
They expect to spend $18,000 on improving the septic system, $3,000 on adding two additional water tanks, and $25,000 on upgrades to the house.<\/p>\n
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Their first major task is to switch the home to solar power. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)<\/p>\n
Evolution of off-grid living\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phillipa Watson is a research fellow at the Australian National University and has been studying the social change in energy uptake across Australia for two decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although there is no national database on the number of people living off-grid, Dr Watson said there had “certainly” been increased activity by power companies over the past decade to create more off-grid systems for their customers.<\/p>\n
She said that shift was primarily thanks to solar power systems becoming more affordable.<\/p>\n