Any house that stays off the grid is an awesome house, in my opinion. What’s most impressive about this off-the-grid-ready house in San Antonio is that they get 100% of their water from rainwater collection. My first thought when I saw that was that they live in San Antonio. I’ve been there. It’s hot. It’s dry. VisitSanAntonio.com reports 300 sunny days each year and average annual precipitation at only 29.05 inches. The rainiest month is September, when they average 3.7 inches of rain. But they claim that every inch of rain gives them 2,000 gallons of water. With ultra-efficient appliances (their washer uses about 30 fewer gallons of water per load than average models) and a conscientiousness surrounding their waste, water isn’t a problem. That’s just amazing to me.

Treehugger.com offers a peek at some other off-grid homes that are equally as cool. In the comments, though, someone asks why live off the grid if you still have two cars? I ask, what’s the other option? Live on the grid with two cars? People who don’t need cars, for the most part, don’t have them. Anyone with enough awareness to live off the grid isn’t going to frivolously drive a car. And cars aren’t our only problem. The more off the grid we can get in every aspect of our lives, the better.