How To Live A More 'Off-Grid' Lifestyle

Whether it’s for sustainability, peace and quiet or to escape the rat race culture of city life, there’s been an increase in people looking at how they can live a more off-grid lifestyle.

Of course, the term can be interpreted differently by different people. One person’s ‘off-grid’ could be another person’s regular routine but, while the idea of a more mindful way of life is appealing, most of us still want or need access to good WiFi and transport links.

That said, it’s still nice to think about how we might be able to do more to live sustainably while also lessening our reliance on technology and the everyday conveniences of modern life.

Here are just a few things you can do to get started:

Start a vegetable patch in your garden – As well as providing homegrown, nutritious food for you and your family, this is also a mindful and enjoyable hobby.
Keep a water butt – This is a popular and inexpensive method of rainwater harvesting where rain from your rooftop is collected in a storage container.
Install solar panels – A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity meaning you’ll be using sustainable energy while making significant savings on your monthly bills.
Make your own meals – Instead of buying ready meals, takeout or processed food, use fresh ingredients to prepare your own meals from scratch.
Buy second-hand where you can – From clothing and books to appliances and furniture, there is so much money to be saved by browsing charity shops, asking around or finding a local swapshop initiative in your area.
Leave social media – This one will be the hardest for most people today. But even doing it for a week will give you an idea of what a life lived more ‘off grid’ might feel like.

Of course, depending on your circumstances, all of these options won’t be suitable for everyone. However, if you want to take it even further, Calor Gas has uncovered the best Irish counties for living off-grid. It analysed six metrics that were deemed key ranking factors in living this way: square metres per population, hours of sunlight, property prices, land availability, local produce markets, and the quality of natural amenities.

Into the West

The fact that a county from the west coast came out on top won’t come as a shock but it may surprise you to learn that Mayo was found to be the best county to live off grid in Ireland. With a large volume of land per capita and competitive property prices as well as having the most amount of land for sale per capita and one of the best natural amenity scores in the research. This is what makes Mayo the most suitable county to live off-grid in Ireland. On the other hand, Dublin ranked the lowest with a poor ranking in almost every category.

Leitrim was revealed as the second-best county to live off-grid. This was down to high-ranking factors such as the most space per capita, most hours of sunlight, lower average property price and high natural amenities score as well as a good offering of local markets. The vast countryside with lakes and rivers that Leitrim has to offer solidified the county’s place as one of the best places to live a more minimalist way of life.

Rounding out the top three was Kerry, which ranked highly for natural amenities, hours of sunlight and the most space per capita. Kerry is also a county that has an impressive countryside as it is home to Ireland’s highest mountains with beautiful scenery and plots of land for sale.

City life

As Ireland’s capital and largest city, it is no surprise that Dublin faces significant challenges for off-grid living. With dense urban development and limited available land, finding suitable spaces for off-grid living are extremely hard to find. Dublin also had the highest property price and poor natural amenities score which is why the county ranked so low.

Meath also ranked in the bottom five, being next to Dublin city means that the county has seen an influx of people moving there which has driven up property prices in and around the city. But like Dublin, Meath has plenty of off-grid options if you look further afield. Towns like Kells and Trim have a lot of greenspace and suitable locations for off-grid living.