I was recently invited to speak at the “Off Grid Lifestyle Expo” which had its first event on Saturday the 11th of September 2021 at the Imbil showgrounds in sunny Queensland. The weather could not have been better, the venue was perfect, including being conveniently located a scenic drive from where I live, and organisers Dee White and Di Woodstock must be commended for their organisational skills. I was numbered amongst more than a dozen speakers scheduled over the two-day event which also included several workshops, exhibitors and stalls. There was no shortage of onsite food vendors who were kept busy with the large crowd. I am familiar with the town and have friend who lives just off the main street. I recommend a visit to anyone including families. There is a gate-secured playground for the little kids, an old steam train in a park for the bigger ones and on this weekend a showground full of “Off Grid” equipment and people. 
The weekend’s motto was “An old way of living- a new way of thinking“. Who doesn’t want to get back to the more natural and earthy lifestyle of the past? We have the privilege to rediscover the old tried and tested ways and incorporate them with the technological advantages that have emerged in modern days.
For those with the inclination, they can now have the best of both worlds.
For some strange reason, the western world seems to have discarded many of the practices passed down through generations and replaced them with what has now become the accepted norms and values of a fast-paced, high consuming stress-filled existence. Whilst the narrative is that we live more abundantly today as measured by the enormous amounts of products we consume daily, many studies show that the people of the western world were much happier in the simpler less technologically based world of our parents and grandparents. Learn more http://homeenergysecrets.com/
The reality is that an excess of anything is not a good mix. An excess or what we call wealth, or an excess of poverty will not deliver a happy life, and, as usual, moderation is the key to success. 
I was scheduled as the first speaker on the first day and having only half an hour in front of the audience I chose to mix some very ancient and fundamental building concepts with lifestyle practices that have only become commercially available in the last 20 years. I demonstrated the importance of key building design principles, specifically a home’s orientation relative to the equator. This principle has helped my family home to have internal stable ambient temperatures throughout the four seasons. I used photos of our home from midsummer to midwinter to show that the sun’s access to our home can be controlled for our benefit and not just our thermal benefit and comfort but also for our financial benefit.
Using government statistics of household electrical consumption for a family of our size in our climate zone, and payments made into our bank account for energy sold back into the grid, as proven by our power bills, I demonstrated that our family will be more than $96,000 better off than a similar family from 2012, when we went interactive with the grid, until 2028 when our agreement runs out with our electrical supplier. In fact, we supply infinitely more power to them than they do to us.
(You can access the original recording here https://youtu.be/tgOXpXRm9uI) .
I did advise the crowd that my estimate of our family being $96, 000 better off than a similar household was clearly a very conservative estimate as we anticipate that we will be well over $100, 000 better off and may well be closer to $120 000 further ahead. Whilst the high tariff input has been significantly reduced since 2012, there is no end of opportunity to do better as the cost of equipment has plummeted and the efficiency of “solar panels” has also improved markedly over the last twenty years.
For many people the tide is turning, and the desire to live a much simpler and energy efficient lifestyle is taking precedence in their lives. Events such as the “Off Grid Lifestyle Expo” gives an opportunity for those who wish to know more to “rub shoulders” with those who are a little more ahead of the mainstream in knowledge and skills. We have never been sorry for our decision to do what we have done as the benefits are more than just financial and those benefits, many eventually taken “just as granted” are the ones that deliver a successful satisfaction not available any other way.
To keep up to date on this event.
Website: www.offgridexpo.com.au Facebook: @offgridlifestyleexpo
For those who are seeking to build, buy or event rent, knowing how to choose wisely can make your house more homely and reduce heating and cooling bills. Combining the best of the old-world ways with the best of the new available technology, your household can both live more comfortably and reduce both your energy expenses and your environmental footprint.
To access firsthand information to help you become more “Off Grid” more successfully, you can access my book, “Home Energy Secrets- The Inside Story” from AMAZON (now printed in Australia) or borrow it from your nearest library. We have never been sorry that we adopted this lifestyle over 25 years ago and have reaped the many rewards available and I am not finished learning just yet. Whatever your circumstances may be, it is very likely that you can discover more tricks that can help you share in some of the benefits that we do and possibly many that we can’t.
It is well worth the investigation.
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Moreton Bay residents can access weekly tips from John on Community Radio 101.5 FM Friday Mornings at 10:10am
John Lynn
http://homeenergysecrets.com/