Realeyes Farm Permaculture Design – Energy and Waste Systems

Electricity: Off-grid Solar PV system with Battery Backup. 2x 250watt panels, 2.5kW Inverter, 8x 6volt deep cycle batteries, charge controller, PV wires, Mounting. Yearly Production: 560kWh Total: $4244.67

Refrigerator: Converting a chest freezer into a fridge will create a super-insulated, extremely efficient fridge that only consumes .15-.18kW per day! (source)

Blackwater Constructed Wetland: This will be constructed slightly down slope from the house so that the blackwater can flow by gravity into it. It will be filled with wetland plants such as cattails, sagittaria, rushes, reeds, scurpis, and bulrush. When the system gets full of biomass, it will be harvested out and composted and returned to the garden to complete the nutrient cycle.

Greywater: Water from the sinks, shower, and washing machine will gravity flow through planter troughs inside the house, near the windows. This feeds the soil, and filters the water. It will then go into the toilet basin for flushing into the blackwater cell. The washing machine water will flow out into a mulch basin. The pipe will be HDPE and buried so that it can still function in the winter. 

Hot Water: Hot water will be provided by a hybrid DIY solar/wood system. The hot water will be stored elevated in a typical 40 gallon electric water heater, set to a low setting. Then the cold input will be pre-heated through a coil of 1inch HDPE tubing in a sunny position, and can optionally be piped through a copper tube wrapped around the stove pipe of the wood stove.