Ubicación
General
Location is one of the most important factors to take into account when going OffGrid. Casi todo depende de la ubicación.. Al buscar un lugar para establecerse OffGrid, muchas personas cometen el error crucial de solo mirar los atributos positivos de una ubicación. si, todos deberían tener una lista de “quiero esto” y “i would prefer not that” and matching these criteria somewhat is important for happiness.
Sin embargo, es igual de importante inspeccionar adecuadamente los lados negativos de las ubicaciones y cómo eso podría afectar el futuro. Solar does not make sense if all your land is next to a forest and all you have is shade, it might be hard to source water in the desert, good luck getting a legal permit for drilling a well in Germany, punctual workforce is not a thing in east Europe , ese río podría verse bien pero con esa fábrica química 10 km upstream hmm, etcétera etcétera.
Don’t be persuaded to buy land quickly! If the seller of the building plot harasses you by making you know that there are other interested parties you need to pre-empt, then you should take the time to check the building plot very carefully. If the type and characteristics of the building plot have special features in the soils condition, this can result in considerable additional costs in the building of the house. Therefore, the question of soil condition must always be clarified with a soil assessment in case of doubt. Other problems may arise from soil conditions that include water or moor soil. In order to protect you from costly surprises, you should obtain very intensive level of information on the soil condition and load-bearing capacity before purchasing the property.
Puntos a considerar para elegir un área
Climate
Which climate do you wish to live in? Do you have experience living in different climates for a prolonged period of time? Ese pueblo del centro de México podría ser dulce durante dos semanas de vacaciones de verano, but are you sure you can take the heat all year round being born in Norway? Do you even want the same weather all year around, or would you enjoy a change of seasons? How is your body coping with a certain climate? Muchas veces después de vivir 3-4 months in a different climate people get all sorts of funny symptoms because their body did not adjust well. It is highly recommended to travel and try to experience different climates to feel which fits you and your body best.
Cultura
Cultures can be vastly different on each and every level of society and human behaviour. Some cultures are harsh and rough at first glance, otros están abiertos, calmado y perdonador. Some support the lifestyle going OffGrid more then others, algunos lo aceptan como tradición nacional.
Ten en cuenta que si vienes como “forastero” usted es el que necesita adaptarse a la cultura local! No one likes the foreign smart ass who knows everything better and disrespects local traditions, definatly not a good way to make friends. Same as what can be said as with climate, es muy recomendable viajar e intentar experimentar diferentes culturas para ver cuál se adapta mejor a ti.
Ley, Permisos, Reglamento, Situación legal
Este tipo de superposición con la cultura. More often then not, law and how it is enforced is very much tied to culture. However there is always legal things that will be minorly or majorly different from country to country, de estado a estado o incluso de ciudad a ciudad. Depending on what your plans are it should be worthwhile to inspect the legal situation properly.
Precios, Price Level
Some areas will be cheaper then others, this does not only reflect countries but can also vary vastly within the same country.
Getting land in Somalia will generally drain less numbers from your bank account then acquiring a mansion in Luxenbourg.
Consider not only your budget but also your future maintenance costs and such.
Salud y educación
Ambos temas importantes. Check how conditions are before moving.
A common mistake from people coming from systems with universal healthcare is to realise healthcare can be excessively expensive. El mismo procedimiento que será gratuito en “civilised country” could cost you a mortgage and life long payments somewhere else. *USA being the prime example of negativity here.
Policía
Infórmese sobre el estado general de la policía.. ¿Qué autoridades tienen o no tienen?. ¿Es la corrupción un problema?, etcétera etcétera.
Estadísticas generales de la sociedad
Las estadísticas nunca pintan la imagen completa. Nunca debe confiar ciegamente en los números de apon, pero pueden ser un factor importante para elegir.
Aquí algunos ejemplos de qué buscar:
- Números de empleo y desempleo
- Crime statistics for burglaries, etc..
- Interacciones policiales por ciudadano al año
- Niveles de ingreso promedio
- Niveles Educativos
Things to consider for location
Proximity to water
While agua is needed to keep you and your OffGrid running,
being too close to large bodies of water like rivers and lakes can also mean you need to take extra precautions because of flooding. In any climate over freezing point larger bodies of water also mean a lot more insects and general wildlife in close proximity. This can be both positive or negative.
Horas de sol
Solar power production and food production can rely heavily upon this. Mientras más, mejor. For solar to work best it should be placed where there is no shade for the duration of the day.
More details on this can be found in the solar section.
Viento
Wind turbines are a valid source of power. Proporcionarán energía por la noche y durante el clima nublado y el mal tiempo.. There is very efficient vertical turbines that basically work in just about all environments. Vea cómo está la situación con el viento alrededor de su ubicación.
More Information on wind turbines can be found in the wind section under electricity.
Clima
¿El sol deja de existir para 5 mes cada año? cough greetings to all the tough souls in Finland* How much minus for how long constitutes a harsh winter? Whats the usual and unusual summers like? Has there been flooding? ¿Qué tan fuerte es la temporada de lluvias?? El clima es un factor importante para vivir OffGrid! It is highly recommended to inform yourself properly about the local weather.
Soil Quality
If you planning on raising crops or larger amounts of livestock it is recommended to check the soil quality if you buy larger pieces of land. Eso dijo, for your casual veggie garden of 4 m² its not a big factor; you can easily dump a few m³ of nutrient rich soil for such purposes.
Compras
Necesitarás cosas. No solo comida, pero elementos de la vida cotidiana, electrónica, medicamento, maintenance of machinery, etc..
Remote area also means less variety in shopping opportunities and such. Make sure you know how far certain shops are from your location.
Closest populated area
Consider carefully how far out you want to be. UN 5 km distance to the next populated area can easily be overcome on foot or bike even for smaller children. Being too far out makes things more complex. 20 km o más y “a pie” ya no es una opción viable.
Local Resources
Madera, stone, sand, clay, agua, etc are all things you will need one way or another during construction. The more resources are locally available on your land the less you need to “importar”. This usually scales with your distance to the next populated area.