[red-beard]

If you need off-grid power, PM me. We build hybrid solar energy systems. Lots of options, depending on your needs.

Water, you'll need a well.

Permits: You may need a building permit from the county, but usually minimal standards outside city limits

Suggestions:

Design for passive solar heating/cooling. Mostly, you want south facing windows with an extended roofline. This allows direct sun in the winter, but only in-direct in the summer. For a more "extreme" you build a greenhouse/solarium to the south which collects warmth in the winter. You then circulate air from there to the house and to "thermal mass". These days, it can all be automated. You will want a "backup" heating system for cloudy days.

Add "super insulation". Instead of 2x4 framing, go with 2x8 or 2x10. Then insulated the walls with spray-foam. Do the same in the attic/ceiling. This makes the house "tight" and super insulated. You will want to add in an air to air heat exchanger to allow fresh air into the house, without heat loss. There is a 9000 sq-ft house recently built here in Houston like this. They only use 9 tons of air conditioning! My house is 3400 sq-ft and needs 7.5 tons.

When buying a heating/cooling system go Variable Frequency Drive AND geothermal. Instead of a normal condenser, the condenser uses glycol which is circulated into the earth or a water source. These are EXTREMELY efficient.

Hot water heaters, again, use the heat pump type on tanks. The heat pumps are very efficient, especially if also geothermal. I would also install a solar "pre-heat" on the hot water. All of this will minimize the actual electricity you need.

For cooking, I suggest putting in propane. Electric cooking sucks anyway...

James