An Australian homeowner with a large off-grid house can light, heat, and cool his home while running multiple appliances without a grid connection.
He puts the cost of electricity for his sprawling rural house at just 13 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Solar generation and battery storage are central to homeowner Martin Jacobson's 5,382-square-foot (500-square-meter) home, but the house also relies on other energy sources.
Here's what to know
North of Benalla, Victoria, Jacobson's property draws on 20 kilowatt-hours of lithium battery storage and a 15-kilowatt solar array. He described the setup during a home tour on Farm Learning with Tim Thompson.
The house has a full-size kitchen, multiple refrigerators, and other everyday appliances that remain in use more than two years into off-grid living.
"This isn't a tiny home or a basic weekend shack," the channel's caption noted.
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Jacobson's estimated electricity cost is a personal calculation. As he explained in the video, it accounts for both his upfront spending and the cost of replacing the equipment after an assumed 12 years.
Having energy left in the batteries didn't mean the system could power every appliance at once. Running the dishwasher, water pump, and electric kettle together could exceed the original 5-kilowatt inverter's capacity, so Jacobson replaced it with a 10-kilowatt model. Still, he has zoned his home heating system and can switch it on and off independently to help reduce electrical load.
More background
Short, cloudy days have sometimes left Jacobson relying on instantaneous gas hot water because his system couldn't provide enough heat. His 132-gallon (500-liter) hot-water storage unit can also store energy. It takes surplus solar electricity once the batteries are full and stores it as heat.
Wood heating and air circulation kept living spaces comfortable during the mild winter discussed in the video, leaving the underfloor system unused. The underfloor heating has struggled to warm the whole house, although its 12 independently controlled zones allow Jacobson to leave unused rooms unheated.
"I certainly admire the amount of thought and effort Martin has put into his set up," one commenter on the Farm Learning with Tim Thompson video wrote.
What can be done?
Seasonal usage patterns should guide capacity decisions, Jacobson advised homeowners considering a similar system. He recommended examining two or three years of electricity bills before deciding how much capacity they need.
For his own property, he would prefer 30 to 35 kilowatt-hours of battery storage and is adding roughly 4 kilowatts of solar panels.
For homeowners exploring solar without necessarily disconnecting from the grid, EasyHome can help them curate competitive bids from local installers.
Two water-heating additions are still being installed, but their results in Jacobson's setup have yet to be demonstrated. A heat exchanger fitted to the wood heater's flue and evacuated-tube solar water-heating equipment are intended to reduce his reliance on electric water heating.
Smaller adjustments are already helping him manage electricity use. His dishwasher runs on a midmorning timer and uses less than 2.9 gallons (11 liters) per wash, while low-energy DC ceiling fans circulate heat. He also schedules air-fryer cooking for sunny periods or when the batteries are full.
Jacobson's approach includes LPG cooking and wood heating, so his off-grid electricity setup isn't an all-electric home.
For everyday appliance use, Jacobson said: "You don't have to be super careful with your power, but you've just got to be smart about how you use things."
Where can I learn more?
These stories cover solar and battery quotes, rebate deadlines, retirement planning, payback estimates, and inverter capacity.
• In Australia, a 6.6-kilowatt solar setup with 20-kilowatt-hour storage drew quotes from $8,000 to $20,000.
• An Australian family weighed a $6,000 solar-and-battery purchase ahead of Victoria's rebate deadline.
• An Australian homeowner considers solar, batteries, and an EV as part of early-retirement plans.
• An Australian homeowner questioned whether a $19,800 solar quote could deliver five-year payback.
• A Queensland homeowner considering ALDI's $10,999 solar deal learned why inverter size matters.
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