Your program looks very well-considered to me.  Do you have a web site with pictures?

Hello Bob and all TOD'ers,

Bob, thought you might be interested in the cold box I built for our off-grid home in northern VT. It's wickedly simple and works wickedly well for at least four mos of every year (tho climate change has me concerned regarding its long-term viability). You can read about it here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/home_journal_news/2453517.html

With the cold box in operation, we're running our 2200-square foot home on approx 3 kilowatt hours/day. In the summer, we use a conventional energy star fridge. But that's no problem, b/c we're making gobs of power.

For anyone who's interested in more off-grid insight (we have 1.8-kw pv, 900-watt wind, solar hot water collectors, and a hot water loop in our cookstove), I welcome questions/comments. We also run a micro-farm (four or five cows, depending on time of year), a few piggies, meat birds and laying hens, copious gardens, blueberries, raspberries, etc. We did all this before becoming PO aware and haven't really changed anything (hell, I still drive a F150 that pulls down 12mpg on a good day). Still, I am continually amazed at, inspired by, and grateful for the high level of analysis and commentary here at TOD. Thanks to all.

ben at bittergravity dot com

I've done pretty much all I can on the energy front since I've been doing it for a really long time. However, I'm adding more fruit trees to our orchard (and, maybe, another dozen grape vines). The ones I'll plant this spring will bring us back to about 50 trees. I also started converting our raised beds to high carbon/Terra Preta soils a couple of years ago and I'll be continuing that into the future. I'll also be putting on a short presentation about HC/Terra Preta soils in January or February at our place. If anyone is in coastal northern California and interested in attending, you can email me at detzel(at)mcn.org and I'll keep you up to date. I'm in northern Mencocino County.

Todd; a Realist

All that sounds pretty good, and sort of parallel to what I am doing. Except as of now we hardly have had a winter. I have a big cistern near my house which I am trying to cool down to use for room cooling during the hottest days of summer. That somewhat tepid cistern worked quite well last summer and would be adequate if it started the summer cooler.

And (drum roll here) my wood stove stirling is now working pretty well and can easily keep up my house load, which is a not so frugal 8kW-hrs/day. I am thinking of putting the whole set of drawings on a proper web site for one and all to sue me for when they get killed trying it out, but so far have been too lazy and inept to do it.

There is absolutely nothing proprietary in this stirling- just details that make it work, as contrasted with those that don't. I have made plenty of stirlings that don't work and can tell the difference.

And of course that auto transmission for bikes. Works great up hill and down hill, absolutely no shifting ever, and efficient, cheap, durable and light. Maybe next year. ---Unless, of course, the Chinese steal it, which will make it available much quicker and cheaper, and maybe even better.

Sic transit gloria mundi. ( ubersetzung- fuhgeddaboudit)