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Fully off-grid homeowner reveals the surprisingly cheap way she cut ties with utility companies

"This is absolutely amazing."

A light-colored dog walking through a grassy yard with solar panels in the background.

Photo Credit: Reddit

As electricity bills in the U.S. continue to climb, more and more homeowners are looking to cut ties with their energy companies. 

One homeowner took to Reddit to share the solar panel and battery setup they use to energize their home while living off-grid. 

In the short clip, the homeowner explains that they spent a little under two decades slowly but steadily improving their energy security. The original poster's current system includes six solar panels, three small batteries, and a few other supporting devices. 

(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)

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The OP discusses how they found their solar panels on Facebook Marketplace and only paid $600 for all six. Including the power controller, batteries, and an inverter, it appears their entire off-grid set up cost around $6,000. 

"I've been living off the grid for almost 20 years and have slowly improved my equipment," the OP wrote in the video's caption. "Finally I have a set-up that can run just about anything I would use if I was on the grid."

Pairing solar panels with batteries is one of the most effective ways to say goodbye to the grid and avoid rising electricity costs. TCD partner EnergySage has completely free resources to get quick estimates for solar installations and makes it simple to compare competitive quotes. 

Under the post, users were quick to add their own thoughts on the OP's off-grid setup. 

"Impressive and inspiring," one commenter wrote. 

"This is absolutely amazing," another said. "I think more people would take advantage of these types of setups if they knew they existed. Lots of places have electric bills going up with little transparency from electric companies as to why." 

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If you're ready to make your home more resilient and dodge the hassle of frequent power outages, you may want to think about using EnergySage's free tools to learn more about your energy options. Homeowners can save up to $10,000 on installation costs by consulting with EnergySage advisors. 

EnergySage's free mapping tool even compares the cost of solar panels on a state-by-state level, offering information on all of the incentives in your area. This is vital to finding a competitive price for solar technology and securing the most lucrative discounts and rebates available to you. 

If you want to go fully off-grid, then you'll likely need home battery backups to pair with your solar panels. However, most homeowners with a grid connection don't know that home batteries can also help reduce energy costs by storing power during the day to use at night when electricity rates are often at their most expensive. 

Luckily, EnergySage's advisors can help you learn about home energy storage solutions and connect you with competitive installation estimates.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.

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