Off Grid Properties Inquiry Page

 Thank you for your interest in working with EcoEthic Solar. Please fill out the following inquiry form. The more details you provide, the easier it will be for us to get you exactly what you are looking for. We try to respond to these as quickly as possible, but a response may take up to 5 business days, depending on inquiry volume. Feel free to send follow-up emails to sales@ecoethicsolar.com if you think we've missed something. Installation slots are limited and fill up fast. 

If you're waiting to hear back from us after 5 - 7 business days, please check your Junk and Spam folders. Please mark our domain as trusted if that happens to you.

 In order to ensure equipment quality and maintain warranties, all equipment must be sourced through EcoEthic Solar. Evaluations and installations are by appointment only. Due to the complex nature of these systems, and the dangers of improperly installed systems, we do not support or recommend DIY systems. However, if you want a safe, reliable, expandable system, we are licensed, insured, and the only authorized installers of Victron Energy equipment on the east coast.

Special Notes About Off-Grid Living

Full Off-Grid can make sense for stationary structures depending on power needs/expectations: Ex. Backyard Sheds,  Remote Homes/Hunting Cabins where running traditional power becomes expensive or unavailable.

When going entirely off the grid, remember that you will have a finite amount of power based on the size of your battery bank. Installing a battery bank large enough to run a typical American household with no appliance modifications (keeping electric dryer, stoves, HVAC) can get prohibitively expensive and extend Return on Investment (ROI) out to a ridiculous timeline. 

 Off-grid living requires increased awareness and paring down of your power consumption, and adjustment on the timing of power use. Some of the heavy hitters that are inefficient and thus tough to maintain off-grid without a very large system are electric stoves, dryers, and HVAC systems. These appliances, when run at night (when your sole source of power is the battery bank) pull hard and they pull for a long time. If giving these up is not an option,  then we recommend utilizing gas or wood to run these items. Gas/wood will be much more efficient in running stoves and dryers and also for heating water and air. For cooling, we recommend a minisplit unit which has Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios (SEER) ranging from 20 to 24.  

While we design our systems around Winter Solstice (when the days are shortest and the sun's intensity the weakest) it is always good to have multiple fuel sources and to use them as efficiently as possible. Ex. A gas or diesel generator can be used occasionally to top off batteries as needed during weeks of low solar input or heavier than normal draws on the battery bank. Wind power, hydropower, and geothermal cooling can also be used to supplement energy need if abundant in your area.

  Partial Off-Grid (what we call Critical Load Systems) make the most sense for traditional American Homes. This type of system would act as EITHER a  backup for when the power goes out OR as a subsystem that will remove select items from your monthly power bill. These can be designed to be expandable over time to slowly reach full off-grid status as the budget allows.

In either case above, if/when the power goes out, your most critical appliances will keep running: Lights, Refrigerator/Freezer, Fan, Well Pump, 1-2 dedicated power outlets. These are the appliances everyone wishes they had during a power outage.