Let’s not make Best the victim of Good. Best would be this mythical utopian view where every house has its own water recycling and its own energy sources, is efficient, pleasant to live in, and capable of being placed near enough to each other to build an effective community.

Good would be improving on existing home designs. Can we make them more efficient and sustainable? I’m pretty sure we can. Can we build them so that they don’t need to use so much energy for air conditioning and hot water? I think so. Can we build them so that they’re easier to maintain and durable enough to withstand the typical abuse that a family would give it? I think so.

Look at “the grid.” No, we shouldn’t be entirely reliant upon it and it shouldn’t be as expensive as it is. But it does serve a purpose. There will be times when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. It will be cold and you’ll need heat. Or it will be sticky humid and very warm and you’ll need some air conditioning so that you’ll be able to sleep. That energy has got to come from somewhere. It can be a community generator of some sort or it can come from some massive power plant several hours drive down the road. But you will need power from some place reliable.

You’ll also need communications. The RF spectrum is limited. Furthermore, there are many people who are certain that no antenna is ever tolerable. They are afraid of being beamed to death. (I wish I was making this up, but I have met far too many such people)

So you’ll need a communications cable to your home. Fiber optic cables are great, they’re pretty easy to work with, can carry significant bandwidth, and they’re durable.

As for water and sewer services, keep in mind that waste-water is more than just what you flush down the toilet. In fact, that’s not even the majority of what goes in to the sewer. There is water for washing dishes, laundry, baths, showers, cooking, and so on. That water must be carefully processed so that it is clean enough to return to the environment. Modern Enhanced Nutrient Removal treatment plants can do this far better than any composting toilet.

The utopia of off-grid living is interesting. Some day it probably will be achievable for small communities. But it shouldn’t be a design goal right now. Let’s focus on building better houses with efficiency that offers a decent return on the investment, first. Remember, we have to design for communities because many people aren’t even handy enough to change a light bulb. Someone will have to be there to help them.