[Broken_Hippo]

" Also, why would you even have a microwave, toaster, and ELECTRIC dryer?"

To me, only the electric dryer might be optional because the alternatives are even worse.

A microwave or toaster would be replaced by another appliance, which has its own problems. Toaster ovens would run longer than the microwave. You can have a propane baking oven or propane burners on a stove, but this isn't all that efficient either. Or you can make fire and cook there, just to warm up your leftovers from yesterday. A Microwave or toaster seems like a comparative smart choice.

The electric clothes dryer seems the wasteful bit, since you can just hang the clothes on a drying rack. I haven't personally used a clothes dryer in years. It is most definitely a luxury, even if one has children since folks can just buy a few more clothes to make up for drying time.

[magic_beans]

Air drying is pretty useless in a humid, tropical climate --- you end up with perma-damp, mildewy clothes.

[substack]

The sun is also very intense when it shines and it dries out clothes very quick. We have problems because the sun dries out the soil too much for plants so we have to put them in shadier areas. I live in an area with 300+cm of annual rainfall.

[ljf]

Depends what you are warming - cold pasta dish? Just pop it in a pan with a little water or oil and will be hot in no time - can heat with gas (or wood, or biomass if you want to be truly off-grid [off-grid doesn't always meet environmentally friendly sadly...]). I guess that is one of the 'benefts' of off grid living in the UK - you will likely always have a fire burning anyway much of the year.

Heating with energy generated from solar is going to be 'costly' for some time. Amazed they run a tumble dryer - but guess it is very humid there?