Since the house is miles away from the electrical grid, it needed to be self sustaining. Solar panels provide power and Brun and Esparza engineered the structure to be green from the get go. "The building is high-performance and energy-efficient because of its insulation," Brun says. "There are operable windows in every single room in the house, which actually reduces electricity use since it cuts down the need for artificial lighting. Once we reduced the electricity need in the house, we then went through the active strategies which are solar panels and the heat exchange system." Photo 4 of 6 in How to Build an Off-the-Grid Cabin in Arkansas for just over $118,000

How to Build an Off-the-Grid Cabin in Arkansas for just over $118,000

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Since the house is miles away from the electrical grid, it needed to be self sustaining. Solar panels provide power and Brun and Esparza engineered the structure to be green from the get go. "The building is high-performance and energy-efficient because of its insulation," Brun says. "There are operable windows in every single room in the house, which actually reduces electricity use since it cuts down the need for artificial lighting. Once we reduced the electricity need in the house, we then went through the active strategies which are solar panels and the heat exchange system."