The energy suppliers in my area all have contracts I do not agree with. My gas & electric service may be cut in a couple weeks.
What’s my best move? I need enough electricity to power a mid-sized refrigerator (but could downgrade to a minifridge if needed), a few lights, router, laptop.
My boiler is gas but I have an old previously used mazut tank and furnice which I could possibly get working again with some effort.
Not sure what to do for cooking. Maybe use a portable electric cooktop.
(updates)
I’m favoring diesel over gasoline, for these reasons:
-
My large mazut tank could store a year supply diesel but I doubt I could safely store gasoline in that quantity. It’s questionable though because it has mold or something growing in it so I’m not sure if it needs to be cleaned (or whether cleaning it is even possible). Or maybe the mold is harmless.
-
Mazut and diesel may be compatible (not sure). That is, maybe a diesel generator can burn mazut or perhaps the mazut furnice can burn diesel. Guess I should find out how different they are.
-
Clean biodiesel can be made in a basement from waste cooking oil and lye. I can probably get the waste oil at no cost.
W.r.t renewables, it’s in a densely packed city with a tiny terrace so wind turbines are probably impossible. Solar panels may be viable, I need to look into that. But I would be really surprised if solar could warm the house in the winter -- it’s not a passive house (in fact not even insulated). I think solar would be a nice clean & quiet supplement.
Camping propane or butane stove may be the way to go for cooking.
Both will blow a lot of dirt and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. What about solar panels or a windmill?
Neither can be realistically installed in a couple of weeks. Depending on where you live, the waiting time for a battery is already 3-4 weeks.
Would that generate remotely enough power?
Solar with enough panels and storage can do a great deal. For cooking consider an induction cook top as they're about double the efficiency of a traditional stove.
Batteries are kinda pricey though. I guess it depends on your budget. Perhaps a generator for standby or night time / overcast power.
Solar panels can generate plenty of power. My house basically runs off Solar 8-12 hours a day (8kw system). Air conditioning, laundry, and all the electronics. My stove is gas though.
The expensive part is battery storage. My system for example can generate 20-40kwh excess power each day. But buying a 10kwh battery to keep things running overnight costs more than my whole solar system already.
That depends on how many sun hours or/and wind you've got at your place, how much panels you can install and of course how much light you're using. I don't have the knowledge to do the math on that.
Is there a free market to buy (sustainable) electricity from at your place? Or are you forced to buy from the local/regional provider?