Solar houses

The tiny house social movement has taken off in the US, with tiny house companies, trade shows, blogs, TV shows (like Tiny House Nation and Tiny House Hunters), associations, and more, all in support of minimalist living.

While the primary reason to go tiny is to live a simpler life, there are myriad other reasons to jump on this trend, including: reducing your impact on the environment; saving money on housing and electricity costs; and shifting away from consumerism that makes us dependent on a corrupt government.

With a heavy environmental focus, it may come as no surprise that tiny houses and solar panels go hand-in-hand.

Tiny houses use have less space, and therefore take less energy to power. Home owners often make the switch to tiny in order to save on energy usage. But tiny home owners can cut their energy bills even further by going solar.

History of the Tiny House Movement

The tiny house movement gets its original inspiration from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, a famous book published in 1854 chronicling Thoreau’s off-grid life in the woods near Walden Pond in Massachusetts over the course of two years.

Thoreau’s social experiment sought to demonstrate the benefits self-reliance, simplicity, closeness to nature, and spiritual meditation as a better way to inner peace and happiness.

Living only with the necessities of life - food, shelter, clothing, and fuel - he creates the first blueprint for a tiny house, keeping track of his spending to demonstrate the economy in simple living that has become a staple for the movement today.

In total, Thoreau only spends $28.12, or about $934 in today’s currency.

Since then, the philosophy has taken off, with other books, tv shows, and organizations bringing more attention to tiny living as a viable option.

Since the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, tiny homes have exploded in popularity, as foreclosures spiked over 81%. And others have adopted tiny homes as solutions to problems like homelessness, as well. 

Top Reasons to Go Tiny Solar

You might be thinking, why would you want to live in a tiny house? Isn’t bigger, better?

Not necessarily, tiny homeowners say. Here’s why.

Save a LOT of Money

Housing is the biggest living expense for most people, with most Americans spending 1/3 to 1/2 of their income on housing alone. Buying a home often requires spending 15+ years paying it off, and living paycheck to paycheck because of it.

Anyone who lives with their parents still will tell you that the best way to save a lot of money is to not pay for housing. Of course, not everyone wants to live with their parents, either (and the parents, I’m sure, agree).

Tiny homes can be bought and maintained at a tiny cost. You’ll spend a lot less on heating and cooling. The house itself will cost a lot less, while still affording you independence and a place of your own. And property taxes will be at an all-time low.

Solar can help tiny homeowners save even more by eliminating even the tiniest of energy costs.

Live a Green Lifestyle

Since tiny homes take up less space, they have a much smaller carbon footprint. They use less resources for construction, and less energy for heating and cooling.

Plus, tiny home owners have less storage space, which means you’ll waste less. Instead of buying groceries and having half of them go bad, it’ll be easier just to buy what you need and use it immediately.

Placing solar panels on the roof makes tiny homes even greener by switching them to clean, renewable energy.

Save Time on Chores

Large houses come with a lot of maintenance. Between moving the lawn, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, and taking your fourth load of laundry out to the washer, you’ll have no free time left to enjoy for yourself.

With a tiny home, you’ll significantly cut down on the chores required for household upkeep, so you can spend more time doing what you love.

Free Yourself From the Burden of Stuff

All that clutter got you down? Simply your life by getting rid of all but the essentials.

You’ll no longer spend time trying to keep track of all the unimportant items in your house. Instead, you can focus on things that matter - family, work, friends, community.

Become One With Nature

Tired of bustling cities and suburban wastelands? Tiny homes can help you get away.

When your house takes up less room on your property, you’ll have more room for things like gardening. Or, leave the nature there and enjoy a picnic in the meadow, or party by the pond. Let the sun shine and the green grow.

With solar, you could even completely go off-grid, for a break from the modern world. You can have energy independence and no longer need to deal with utility companies. Just live off the land and the sun, and enjoy the fresh air.

No Need for an RV - Get a Home on Wheels

Mobile tiny homes can allow you a change of scenery when you need one. Hook up your home to a trailer to find the road less traveled.  

Redesign Your Life From the Ground Up

Building your tiny home from the ground up means you have complete control to revamp your living space as you like it. Get creative with the best space-saving solutions, and create a haven for yourself that you can enjoy every day.

In addition, tiny homes often fly under the building code radar, so you can build things your way, without the government telling you what is acceptable.

You can even design your own solar array, using the HahaSmart DIY Design Tool.

Connect With Loved Ones

Closer quarters means closer relationships. Mo more kids slamming their door on their parents, or family members being strangers in their own home. With fewer distractions and less stuff to get in the way, you can renew connections with your family and the surrounding community.

Provide Homes for the Homeless

Tiny homes also make a great, affordable solution for all sorts of disadvantaged people that might struggle to find a place to live. This includes veterans, retirees, and the homeless population.

Some cities are even getting on board with tiny homes as a way to help house the homeless. Cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Detroit, and Portland already have micro communities, and more are popping up every day.

Tiny homes could also be a great solution for young millenials who want their own home without the outrageous mortgage.

Tiny Solar, Big Solution

Can tiny homes have solar panels?

Of course!

Solar panel installations work the same way on a tiny house as they do on a large house, just on a smaller scale.

You’ll get all the same benefits, such as saving on electricity, protecting the environment, and getting independence from energy companies. You’ll enjoy increased home value, just like any other house.

Plus, if your tiny home is on wheels, you can move it to the perfect spot for solar energy generation, and have no need to worry about finding a reliable power source when you park. You’ll always have clean source of energy, guaranteed.

Depending on how your roof was built, a tiny roof may not support the weight of traditional solar panels. You can try thin-film solar panels, or mount panels with a nearby ground-mounted system.

Solar may even allow you to go off-grid with your tiny home, as long as you invest in an inverter and battery storage.

So you can go have your own soul-searching adventure in nature, just like Henry David Thoreau did at Walden Pond.

Large or small, solar can benefit you. See how affordable solar can be with the HahaSmart Price Checker.