Hola! Last week we showed you nine months of transformation in nine minutes. This week, we’re pulling back the curtain on what off-grid living in Andalusia actually looks like day to day.
How do we keep cool when it’s 40 degrees outside? What do we do for laundry? How does cooking work with no mains gas or electricity? And where does all the water go?
Today you’re coming fully behind the scenes. Here’s how we really run our off-grid homestead — one solar charge, one creative solution at a time.
☀️ Powering the Farm on Solar
Our entire farm runs on solar. Lights, washing machine, air conditioning — all of it. Right now we have around 6.8 kWh of battery capacity, which has honestly been a brilliant stepping stone into off-grid solar living. It’s not huge, but it’s taught us so much about how we use energy and where we can be smarter.
Because we can only run one air con unit at a time, we rotate between rooms — giving each space a blast and then moving on. During peak solar hours, once our main batteries are fully charged, we also top up our Bluetti battery boxes so that at night we can run portable air conditioning for the kids. It works, but it takes a bit of juggling!
The big upgrade coming very soon? An additional 4.8 kWh battery — which is going to boost our overnight storage by around 70%. That extra peace of mind on really hot nights will be everything.
We had plenty of comments when we first shared our solar setup saying it wasn’t big enough for a family. And honestly, they weren’t wrong — once we added the air conditioning, our energy needs grew faster than we expected. But that’s the thing about off-grid living — you learn as you go, and you grow the system as you need to.
🙈 Roof Insulation — The Honest Version
We’re currently working on insulating the roof to help keep the rooms cooler for longer after they’ve been aired down. We’re filming the whole process — including all the ups and downs.
Fair warning: so far, we may have made things temporarily worse.
Actually, a lot worse. We accidentally drilled straight through some of our roof tiles. It’s one of those “we’ll laugh about this one day” moments — but that full video is coming, and we’re not hiding from it. Real renovation, real mistakes.
🫧 Our Greywater System — Not a Drop Wasted
Out here, water isn’t something we take for granted. After every washing machine cycle, we collect the waste water in a bucket and carry it to one of our storage tanks.
Because we use an eco detergent that breaks down in around 19 days, we leave the tank to sit and biodegrade while we’re away travelling or working on other projects. We run two tanks in rotation so we always know which one is safe — once one has had time to break down fully, that water goes straight to the olive trees. Then we start filling the second tank.
It’s a simple system, but it works beautifully. The olive grove gets a drink, nothing goes to waste, and we’re not pouring anything harmful into the land.
The same logic applies everywhere else on the farm. Air conditioning condensation — bottled and poured over the plants. Leftover water from washing vegetables — saved for the garden. Even the salad spinner gets its rinse water redirected. It all adds up, and the plants appreciate every single drop.
For drinking and cooking, we’re still on bottled water for now — we haven’t installed a proper filter yet, but it’s firmly on the to-do list. That’s the thing with off-grid life: there’s always a next step, and you chip away at it bit by bit.
🚿 Showers — Cold, Creative & Surprisingly Fine
We don’t have hot running water yet, so showers have been… inventive.
For the kids, we heat water on the stove and use a small pump to turn it into a makeshift shower — and honestly, it works a treat. Callum and I have gone fully cold shower, which on a proper scorching Andalusian afternoon is genuinely amazing. Sometimes the tap water is already warm by midday just from sitting in the pipes in the sun. Spain finds a way.
An outdoor shower is very much on the plans — one for those long, sweaty renovation days when nothing sounds better than rinsing off under the open sky.
🍳 Cooking Off-Grid — Gas Bottles & Everything From Scratch
All our cooking happens on a gas bottle-powered cooker. The first canister cost around €80 to set up, but after that it’s only €16 to swap for a refill — and it lasts much longer than you’d expect, even with the gaps while we’re away following Schengen rules.
We use it for absolutely everything: cooking, baking, boiling the kettle, heating water for the kids’ showers. It’s simple, reliable, and honestly very cost-effective. We’re planning to move the gas bottle outside soon just to be extra safe — though those ancient thick cortijo walls are putting up a fight. We need a much longer drill bit before that job gets done.
🏍️ A New Family Favourite — The RCB R9X PRO Electric Motorbike
Now for the best bit of this episode (at least according to Hayden and Amaya).
Callum grew up partly on a farm in Bedfordshire — his nan and granddad’s place, where a big extended family would all come together. He and his cousins spent endless summer days riding petrol mini motorbikes around the land, doing jumps, being wild, being free. No rules, no screens, just kids being kids.
So when the team at RCB reached out and offered us the chance to try the R9X PRO electric motorcycle, it felt like fate. The chance to give our kids that same feeling — just electric this time, and with a lot more Andalusian sunshine.
We built it up in secret while the kids had no idea. And their faces when they saw it? Worth every second.
The R9X PRO has three speed settings — 8, 12, and 25 km/h — so you can match it perfectly to your child’s confidence level. The 12-inch rubber tyres and dual shock springs make it super smooth even across our bumpy, uneven terrain. Battery life is up to 15 km on a single charge, it’s designed for children over 4, and it can carry up to 80 kg — which means there’s room to grow, or for a parent to have a cheeky go when the kids aren’t watching. Not that we would.
It’s safe to say the R9X PRO is already a firm family favourite at Renacer McGlynn.
If you’d like to try it for your own family, use our code RENACER10 for £10 / €10 off your purchase:
- 🇬🇧 UK: uk.rcb-scooter.com
- 🌍 EU / International: rcb-scooter.com
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🌍 Following Schengen Rules — Life in Two Places
We’re heading off again soon to stay within the Schengen 90-day limits — which means more travel, more adventures, and more of the family life between countries that makes this whole journey so unique.
If you’d like to follow the travels side of things, we’ve just launched a second channel — McGlynns on the Move — where we’ll be sharing the full picture of how we make this work: budgets, logistics, life on the road with two kids. There’s not a lot on there yet, but we’d love to have you along from the very beginning.
That’s the honest version of how we run our off-grid homestead in rural Spain — no filter, no glossing over the drilled roof tiles. One solar charge, one creative solution, and one day at a time.
Got questions about our solar setup, water system, or gas cooking? Drop them in the comments — we read every single one.
📺 Watch the Full Video
👉 Watch the full behind-the-scenes episode on YouTube
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¡Hasta la próxima! 🌻