I live in a small offgrid community 2.5 hours from a small city. The community here is great, and we look out for each other while having complete autonomy over how we choose to be offgrid.

One of the couples comes to the property for the summer and goes to work in the winters, but this year is planning to stay all winter. But…they do plan to go away for a week at Christmas.

This means someone will have to keep their fire going day & night to prevent food/plants/fridge/Bluetti solar from freezing solid in our Canadian winter. We chose to live this lifestyle, and barring a personal emergency would not expect someone to do this for us while keeping their own fires going. Getting up at 3 am to feed the stove is bad enough, but getting dressed and going to the neighbors at 3 am is something else entirely.

What’s everyone thoughts on this? It feels like a lot to ask of someone, but maybe I’m being selfish. I’d like to hear opinions! thanks

Hey everyone, looking for some real-world opinions on a hybrid generator + battery setup. My plan:

• Get a Honda EU2200i as the generator.
• Pair it with a ~2 kWh portable power station.
• Use the generator mainly to recharge the power station (and handle bigger loads when needed).
• Run freezers and fridges (plus some lighter stuff) off the battery for quiet, overnight, or longer runtime without the generator running constantly.
• In a few years I want the option to add solar panels and possibly expand the battery capacity.

What I’m considering so far:

• Generator: Honda EU2200i (pretty set on this for reliability, quiet operation, and clean power).
• Battery options I’ve been looking at: EcoFlow Delta 3 Max / Delta 3 Max Plus, DJI Power 2000, and some Anker Solix or Bluetti 2 kWh models. Main differences I’m seeing are continuous output (2400W vs 3000W), expandability (some take extra batteries, some don’t), and how easy/high the solar input is.

Questions for people who’ve done something similar:

1. Is the EU2200i + a 2 kWh power station a solid combo for running 2-3 freezers/fridges (plus light loads) with generator recharging as the primary method?
2. Any strong recommendations between EcoFlow Delta 3 Max / Max Plus, DJI Power 2000, or other 2 kWh stations for this use case? Especially regarding real-world fridge runtime, generator charging speed, and reliability.
3. How much does expandability and easy solar input matter if I plan to add panels and possibly more capacity in a few years?

Appreciate any experiences or suggestions. Thanks!

Has anyone ever built a not-so-standard dwelling unit and rented it out for long-term rentals? How did you find the renter and did you encounter any legal issues? Wanting to do this in Burke County, NC