Amazing off-the-grid houses

Would you live in one of these? Man, I would:







Full list:

http://gizmodo.com/5978598/21-amazing-off+the+grid-houses?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

....and practical. I like the designs and the fact that they are off the grid. There's no money going to oil companies' pockets.

Those are some amazing solar arrays on the roofs of the first and third houses ... I wonder how close to "normal" their use of electricity is with those things.

don't know about in the USA but in Australia some people are making money selling their excess power to the grid. My neighbour spent about 20 grand putting up panels but now the electricity company pays him on average $100 a quater instead of getting a bill. We also have a different system where you can be on grid and using your own power at the same time, rather than batteries/storage whatever excess is produced is automatically sent into the grid for credit and during times when you are not producing enough power you can draw from the grid spending your credit. 100% green power is the most valuable (we have a carbon emissions tax so polluting now cost companies money in Australia) so you trade Peak time Green power (during the day) for offpeak mixed power at night. In theory this reduces the base load requirements of Coal fired power stations reducing overall pollution.

People do that in the U.S. too, though sometimes the power company gives them a bit of a hassle beforehand. What burns me is that you can now make payments on a solar array over time at a rate guaranteed to be lower than your power bill, and I had that business idea years ago!