Eco Studio Update…
Now spring has sprung, we can finally really start to get going on my new Eco-Studio - hurrah!!
Over the last couple of months, I’ve spent a lot of time just staring at the amount of work that needed to be done, and wondering where to start! When you spend your days making tiny things, the prospect of having to work on something so big is just a tad daunting…but progress is now happening, and writing this is helping me to see just how much!
There’s been soooo much clearing and moving stuff to do. We’ve been using the building as storage up until now, so all of that “stuff” needed to either go for recycling or be stored elsewhere. Yes, some people would just hire a skip and get rid of the lot in a couple of days, but that just doesn’t tile well with an “eco” studio, so as much as possible will be rehomed and reused.
While it was cold, I was doing lots of research about power. My new studio will be (eventually) completely off grid, and to do this, I’ve gone with a battery and solar system from Ecoflow. It’s a clever system that will also allow me to charge the battery from grid power (or even our electric car!) if I need a bit of a top up in our ever increasingly unpredictable British weather!
Working out exactly how much power I’m going to need has been a really good way of identifying areas that I can improve on. My oxygen concentrator is my main electricity drinking item, so since moving to my temporary space, I’ve been making sure I only turn it on for the few minutes that I’m actually soldering. This will be saving loads of precious energy (and cash!).
Heating wise, apart from insulating (with recycled plastic bottle insulation from Supasoft) as much as possible, I’m also going to have small “Hobbit” wood burning stove. I know there’s a bit of a debate on wood burners, but I do live in the forest, and I’ll probably be able to power it, just from what falls from the trees surrounding my studio. I’ve already started gathering bits to be drying out for next winter. It’ll also provide me with hot water for making essential cups of tea, and I can also use the stove top to warm vegan croissants/soup etc etc…
The whole project is going to be ongoing as I learn more about and adapt to working “off-grid”. I’m sure I’m going to come across things that I haven’t thought about and I’m sure I’ll probably run out of power at some point, but I’m so ready to take this next truly ethical step and keep sharing my ongoing journey!
