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.

  • Hillock@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    You probably want a gas generator since diesel smells terrible and you don’t want that anywhere near your home.

    You just need to make sure you get one that can run long enough without having to stop. Most portable can’t even run an entire day. If you get a stand by generator, that shouldn’t be an issue. But you might still need to take a break once a week.

    In general gas generators require more maintenance and have a shorter lifespan. But you probably want to switch to another energy source all together. A generator is. only good for 10,000-30,000 hours. Which is 1-4 years if you are using it every day.

    A diesel generator would last longer and is easier to repair. So if you plan on using a generator for the next few decades, get a diesel. But I would suggest adding solar power asap and then only using the generator as backup. That way even a gas generator could last 20-50 years.

    For cooking get a gas stove. You can just get a 1-2 burner stove or a full on stove and just hook it up to a cannister rather than the gasline in your home.

  • taladar@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    1 year ago

    The energy suppliers in my area all have contracts I do not agree with.

    Is this disagreement about price? Judging by the other comments all the off grid alternatives will be significantly more expensive, noisy, maintenance-intensive and polluting.

    • ciferecaNinjo@fedia.ioOP
      0·
      1 year ago

      It’s about payment (not price). They all refuse cash and the contract requires agreement to pay using a bank. Being unbanked (and refused by banks) makes it impossible to comply with an energy contract. That’s the abstract simple overview. It’s a big mess of systemic problems. I think I can pay cash for mazut though, once I get the mazut system running again.

      • JGrffn@lemmy.world
        0·
        1 year ago

        I know you’re probably oversimplifying a lot and this may not be the biggest issue you have with the service companies, but if payment method is what’s keeping you from getting the services, can’t you go to the bank the companies rely on to do a deposit directly into their accounts, then mail/message their billing department with your payment voucher? Pretty sure you don’t need to have a bank account to do this. The bank may deny you a bank account but I doubt they’ll do something about a cash deposit, and the service companies should be able to receive a manual transaction record.

        • ciferecaNinjo@fedia.ioOP
          1·
          1 year ago

          It’s not quite like that where I am. I know in the US anyone can walk into the bank of the other person and get stuff done. And there’s not even a surcharge for that IIUC.

          And I don’t suppose many cashless banks exist in the US. Indeed, there are banks that simply cannot handle cash even if you have an account with them. I.e. no vault! Nowhere to put cash so you cannot make a cash deposit. If you need cash and your ATM card isn’t working, these cashless banks have a bizarre hack: the clerk makes a temp emergency card, walks out of the bank to an ATM with you, pulls the cash out, and hands it to you. But not the card. If you need cash again and your card still doesn’t work, you have to repeat the nannied process during banking hours. It’s like that in Denmark.

          Theoretically I can go into a post office and pay them a fee to send money. But the hunt for criminals and the #warOnCash has lead to the payer being required to show a smartcard ID. In my case the software run by the post office took a shit and froze. I can only guess why… possibly because the chip showed I was not registered as an official resident- which is not required unless I’m staying more than ~6 months or so. I bounce around so it wouldn’t be sustainable for me to register as a resident even when I’m not, just to overcome a programming fuck up every time I need to send money.

          Apparently the system has been hardwired to make some foolish assumptions by reckless people who find it acceptable to marginalize nomads/road warriors, anyone with an unconventional lifestyle, etc.